If It Could Only Be You
by WadeWells
Summary: Jessie experienced a devastating loss when her one true love, Jonny Quest disappeared. Despite his absence over a period of time, Jessie believes in her heart that he is not lost. How far will her love take her? What will she do to get him back? And, can she reunite her family once again?
1. Chapter 1

Good evening. My pen name is WadeWells and I've been writing fanfiction on this website since 2008. This, however, is my first Jonny Quest fic. It is completed and I will be posting chapters every week. I know that this isn't a huge fandom, but this fic had been on my mind for two years and well…from my brain it travelled to paper. I hope that those of you who read it will enjoy it as much as I loved writing every moment.

This was a great cartoon and I hope that this story does it justice.

I tried very hard to keep the grammar mistakes to a minimum, but if you find one, please let me know and I will correct.

Thank you for your time! Enjoy!

**Note: Music is always in my mind when writing, I'm sharing my playlist for each chapter with you. You can find the music and lyrics on YouTube. Just search for the name of the artist and the song.**

**Playlist: **

Helen Jane Long: _ Expressions_

Helen Jane Long: _ Willow_

Epic: _Take Down_

One Republic: _What you Wanted_

Machu Picchu-Peru

As she slipped on the shoulder sling backpack, which her mother gave her for her birthday a few months ago, over her shoulder, Jessie Bannon found herself feeling something she never thought possible in her lifetime‒ butterflies in her stomach.

Her friends at school had told her about the famous "butterflies" whenever they were attracted to one of the boys in school. Jessie always laughed at them, never thinking that such an idiotic cliché would ever affect her personally. But now, as she walked around her tent, she felt the annoying little critters in the mouth of her abdomen flapping their wings in rhythm with one another. And it wasn't just a few aimlessly flying around, but a swarm of them making her nauseous and quite annoyed.

Even worse, the person who made her feel these "butterflies" was the one person she had practically known most of her life. "Really Bannon!" she muttered to herself. "What the hell is wrong with you? It's only him!" She shook her head as she walked around her current living quarters‒ a tent smack down in the middle of the greatest archeological site in Peru.

The large seven feet tall tent Jessie had been living in for the past several weeks was by no means extravagant, but it was waterproof and had a heavy duty heat sealed PVC floor which allowed her to walk upright without the worry of tearing the floor with her work boots. The tent also had side and rear windows which allowed light to filter in, providing comfort and, more importantly, ventilation for those rainy days when Dr. Quest cancelled fieldwork. The tent also had an awning that protected her from the sun's rays on the rare days she had the opportunity to relax outside to read a book or just watch her surroundings.

It was a comfortable setting for the current investigation the team led. But, truth be known, at this particular moment, Jessie would have liked to have had the luxuries her room at home offered before meeting him. She was by no means vain but, lately, it was becoming more evident to her how she presented herself in front of him. Part of her knew it wouldn't have mattered in the long run. Not with him. She never had to pretty herself for him in that fashion. But, the girl in her, the other part that wasn't into hiking boots or outdoor activities, couldn't help it.

Jessie never pictured herself as the type of girl who would let her nerves get the best of her, not by any sorts. She was always cool and in control of her emotions. This characteristic made her even more efficient, especially at work. Yet now, she couldn't help it; her nerves hit like daggers. She took off the bag, walked back to her cot and sat down. Then, placing the bag on her lap, she opened it and retrieved her compact to give herself one last look. Breathing in and then out, she felt satisfied that neither her nose nor eyes had anything that could potentially leave a questionable impression.

"Jess," a sudden voice made her look up to the entrance of her tent. "You ready?" she knew the voice, even when it was as low as a mere whisper.

Closing the compact, she threw it inside the backpack and quickly slipped on the bag again before walking out. Smiling to the person in front of her, she whispered, "Morning, Hotshot."

"Good morning, Ace," Jonny Quest answered returning the gesture with a smile of his own. God, she loved that smile. It made her weak in the knees. _Get a grip. Get a grip. Get a grip!_ He awkwardly moved toward Jessie and gave her a peck on the lips, "Sleep well?"

She nodded, blushing a little but keeping her smile, "We better get moving. They'll be up in about two hours. We won't have much time."

"Then, let's make the best of it," he said, gently taking her hand as they began leaving the campsite.

XXXXXXXXXX

They had decided not to climb up too many of steps of Huayna Picchu since it would probably take them some time to climb back down. They needed to get back to the campsite before the others woke. Once they arrived to a step high enough for them to see the landscape around them, Jessie and Jonny sat down and rested their backs against the stone that composed the next level. The two were quiet for a moment, enjoying the scenery despite the dim lighting.

Jessie sighed as she rested her head on his shoulders while he held her close.

"What's going on in that mind of yours?" Jonny asked as she snuggled against him. "You were quiet on the way here."

"Nothing, really," she shrugged still leaning on him. "It's just that part of me can't believe we are here." She looked at the world around her, content filling her. The sun had not emerged from the horizon, but there was a little light coming from the impending dawn and both of them could make out the trees, other ruins and mountains surrounding them. The early morning mist enveloped them.

"Yeah, I know the feeling. I still can't believe we lucked out of Mr. Perusi's history test," he joked. She shoved her elbow on his side. "Ouch!" Jonny laughed.

The group had spent weeks studying the terrain after the Peruvian government called Doctor Quest in to investigate certain unexplained tremors around the area. Nothing had happened since the last quake three weeks prior to their arrival. The renowned scientist was baffled that he hadn't found anything despite the time they had spent there.

Since Jessie, Jonny and Hadji attended a private school for the gifted, the three had been given a leave for a month. They would eventually have to turn in a project to get their passing grades, along with the homework assignments they missed. Even with the endless amount of work they had waiting for them back home, they would have never given up the opportunity to travel and be part of the investigations Quest Industries was hired to do.

Everyone had been given assignments. Dr. Quest spent most of his time interviewing and meeting with Peruvian officials, scientists, as well as, witnesses of the accounts. Jessie and Jonny were assigned to mark the areas reported to have had the highest concentration in seismic activity and Hadji was busy crunching data and reading past reports. Race, of course, spent his time working with the agency making sure everyone was safe. After all, when the clan was together, Race worked double time trying to make sure he knew where everyone was at a particular moment.

The long days on the field caused Jessie and Jonny to spend a lot of time together. Since everyone was occupied in their own worlds, no one paid much attention to what had been happening between them. The two had had an unspoken attraction to each other for almost a year, but neither acted on it. They valued so much their friendship that they were afraid to complicate things. But with each passing day, their feelings grew stronger. The signs were always there, even if neither admitted to them. Jonny never asked anyone out on a date and Jessie never accepted one when asked. They always had an excuse; but both knew the real reason why, even if they never said anything each other.

The trip to Peru, and the fact that they spent hours alone together had somehow awakened and pushed their feelings to the surface. Maybe they had grown tired of playing the "Ignorance is Bliss" game; maybe they were afraid that their only opportunity to speak would cease just like the quakes had. Either way, they finally confessed their feelings to one another one rainy day out on the field. It had been a week since their first kiss changed the world they lived in.

"You fake pain very well Jonny Quest," she said after Jonny yelped. "And you know exactly what I mean. Don't bring up Mr. Perusi to our conversation," the red head answered laughing as well. "As I was saying…we've been here almost a month trying find where these tremors are coming from and during this entire trip, not one has occurred. But you and I...the one thing I _wasn't_ expecting, the one thing we were preventing from happening, happened. You and me…us."

"Us," Jonny repeated hugging her tightly.

Jessie nodded, "Us."

"I know," Jonny finally confessed after a short pause. Then, very gently, he pulled himself back to look straight into her green eyes, "And I'm really glad _us_ happened, Jessie."

"Me too," she whispered to him with a smile. The sun hadn't risen but they knew it would soon emerge. The breezes swept around them like gentle hugs. Jessie, feeling the urge to touch him, caressed his cheek ever so softly, "I can't believe I'm with you. I can't believe this is happening."

"I can't believe I fell in love with my best friend," he answered as he gently pulled back a strand of her long red locks away from her face, "My beautiful best friend."

Jessie smiled again before moving closer and kissing him deeply. And just like that, the world around them completely disappeared and she only felt him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Before they even became aware, the sun rose. Jonny looked up at the sky. It would be a good, sunny day. "We better get going."

Jessie showed her disappointment as he held her close one more time before releasing her, "How long were we here? It didn't seem that long."

Her boyfriend laughed, "We've been here for over an hour."

"Doesn't seem long enough," she repeated with a sigh. "I wish we could‒"

"I know," he interrupted her, knowing what she was going to say. "But Jess, if our fathers find out…"

"They'll think we're making a mistake," she finished the sentence for him. "We've been friends for so long they won't think we're serious about being together."

Jonny looked at her concerned, "Do you mind waiting? If you want to say something now, we will."

She immediately shook her head, "Of course, I don't mind. You're right, let's just give ourselves a little time before we tell the rest of the family. Besides, adding the element of mystery in our relationship is actually kind of fun," Jessie replied as Jonny helped her up while picking up her backpack and putting it on. He kissed her once more before descending the terraces holding hands.

"Do you think we'll find something today?" Jessie asked changing they subject as they headed back to camp.

"Who knows," Jonny shrugged. "Dad keeps saying there is no evidence of quakes anywhere around the site."

"But tourists have been witnesses to as many as ten in the last two months," Jessie reminded him.

"Hundreds of tourists can't be wrong, but neither is science," Jonny replied firmly. "I'm sure there is an explanation, we just have to find out what it is."

As they continued walking, the two felt a sudden tremble from the ground they walked on. They stopped. "Did you feel that?" Jessie asked looking at him.

Jonny nodded, but his gaze peered on the ground. Suddenly the ground shook harder and they stumbled trying to keep themselves from falling. "Jessie, run!" The two began running as the tremor grew stronger, "We need to get to Dad and the others!" Jonny yelled as he gripped Jessie's hand tighter and the two began running away from the area.

Suddenly, the trail where they ran on cracked open, yet the area around the structures stayed intact. "Jonny!" Jessie screamed as she tried not to fall between the wide cracks.

Seeing what was about to happen, Jonny stopped for a second and began to look around, "We need to get to one of the structures. There's no way we can make camp at this point!"

"But what if…"

"It's our only chance Jessie!" The ground was opening, making huge holes and the two ran the risk of falling down within them.

"What's happening?" Jessie cried out.

"I don't know!" Jonny continued. "No one ever said anything about the ground opening."

Running, they reached one of the structures and began to ascend it. Jonny quickly pushed Jessie up first. But, when he was about to pull himself up, the step they were on began to crumble and he lost his balance. He would have fallen if Jessie hadn't quickly grabbed a hold of his arm. "I got you!" she yelled as she held him, "Jonny, try to pull yourself up!"

"There's nothing to hold on to!" he yelled back fighting to hold on to something.

"I can't…hold on… to you for too long," Jessie yelled trying desperately to maintain her grip on him. The stones where she stood began to crack. She looked down horrified, "Jonny!"

He quickly looked around him. The structure was greatly compromised, and worse, a hole had opened right below him. His blue eyes bore at her, "You got to get higher!"

"But…"

"Go!" he yelled more forcefully "Jessie, you've got to go!"

"Not without you!" she yelled as she tried to pull him up. But Jonny was heavy for her. The ground below her shook and the cracks grew wider. The ground around them was splitting apart and she didn't know what else to do. Her usual cool and collected self was gone. His hand was slipping away from hers. She tried to hold on to him, but her hands shook massively from the pressure. Jessie closed her eyes, using all her strength to help Jonny. Then, unable to hold any longer, his hand slipped from hers.

"Jessie!"

"Jonny!" she screamed as she watched him fall down a huge dark hole by the structure. "Jonny!" she shouted as she heard his screams.

Seconds later, the shaking stopped and the ground began closing again. Jessie watched with a combination of awe and agony as each crack and each hole fused itself together again. Before she knew it, there was nothing around her, but clean greenery and no signs of anything broken apart. Worst of all, there was no sign of the man she loved. The breezes now felt hard around her and there was a strong eerie silence everywhere.

"Jonny!" she screamed, her eyes widening in horror.

Without caring or thinking about her safety, Jessie quickly climbed down the steps that were still strong. She desperately moved around the area shouting his name. Then, she dropped on her knees trying to search for what she knew she wouldn't find. Raking the grass with her fingers, she screamed, "Jonny!" once again, but received no answer. "Oh my God," she whispered to herself in shock, "Jonny!" she screamed again before she realized that she was the only one around the area.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Five years later….

"Jonny!"

A blond young woman quickly rose from her bed and ran over to roommate's bed located on the opposite end of the room, "Red! Wake up. Jessie, wake up girl!"

"God no!" she continued screaming.

"Jessie! Wake up!"

Jessie sat up, wildly looking around the room and trying to decipher where she was, "Claire?" she asked the woman in front of her when she finally recognized who she was.

"It's me honey," the blonde haired girl answered as she pulled Jessie into a hug, "It's ok. You had another one."

The red haired girl sighed, her heart pounding hard, "I'm so sorry for waking you up Claire."

"You don't have to apologize, Jess," the girl replied still hugging her friend. "Let me get you some water." She stood up and walked over to the small refrigerator by the corner of their room to retrieve a bottle that she took over to her friend. Jessie opened the bottle and took a huge gulp before sealing the cap and placing it on her night stand, "Better?" Claire asked.

Jessie nodded, "A bit. They always feel very real to me. I relive that day over and over every time I have one."

Claire looked at her friend with a mixture of sympathy and sadness, but also resolve, "Jess, I know this is going to be hard to hear, but tomorrow is supposed to be a happy day. Don't let the past overshadow the happy memories tomorrow will bring to you and your family. You've worked too hard. Give yourself tomorrow."

"I know," Jessie's eyes began to water, "I know. I promise I will."

"Okay," Claire whispered. "Go back to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow." Going back to bed, Claire pulled her covers, "Try to get some rest Jessie. I'll wake you up if you have another nightmare."

About to close her eyes, Claire suddenly heard her friend whisper to her, "I miss him Claire. I miss him so much."

"I know you do, Red," Claire whispered back sympathetically.

And with that, the two roommates fell asleep.

XXXXXXXXXXX

The morning's sun rays welcomed Jessie as she opened her eyes. She rose from bed as she looked at the clock on her nightstand, "Damn!" her eyes widened as she looked at the time. "Seven thirty!"

Quickly, she rose and ran to her closet, taking out the few pieces of clothing, she had not packed. She picked out a black pencil skirt and white polo long sleeved blouse. She had walked over to her dresser when she heard the door open. Turning around, she watched Claire walk in, "Thank you so much for waking me up. Do you realize it's past seven!" she told her sarcastically.

The young girl smiled, "Hey, you barely slept last night. I just wanted to give you an extra hour, that's all. Besides, I was actually on my way to wake you up. We don't have to be at the convention center until ten."

"Did you pick up your cap and gown?" Jessie asked as she pulled out the undergarments she would wear from her dresser drawer.

"Yes, and I also picked up _your _tassel. You know, the one you forgot to pick up yesterday because you were too busy trying to get away from Connor Stevens who has been trying all semester to ask you out," Claire answered as she walked over and handed Jessie the little gizmo that would go on her cap. She smiled sarcastically.

"Thanks," she answered with a small smile. "I told him a number of times this semester that I wasn't interested." Walking past her friend, Jessie sighed, "I better take shower. Dad told me he would pick us up."

"Your dad is picking us up?" Claire asked with a huge grin, "Nice! We haven't officially graduated and we're already riding in style."

Jessie shook her and rolled her eyes mockingly, "You're incorrigible. I'm sure he's on a rental. Dr. Quest is not going to go all out…at least not during graduation."

The two girls laughed as Jessie began heading out the door, "I'll be back soon. You want to grab coffee at Starbucks before leaving?"

"Absolutely," Claire answered, "Hurry up, will ya? I'm excited about today, but I still need to wake up."

"You always need to wake up!" Jessie shouted as she walked out the door.

Claire shook her head. At least her best friend had woken up content. Since she met Jessie four years ago during their freshmen year at George Washington University, she had known her to have these nightmares every May. Jessie also grew depressed and detached as well. It was as if each May since they met, she was another person.

As Claire began getting dressed, she thought more about what this month meant for Jessie. She knew that her boyfriend Jonathan Quest, had disappeared this very same day five years ago. Jessie barely spoke of the mysterious event; the only thing that Claire knew was that he had disappeared on a trip they took to Peru a few weeks before concluding their junior year in high school. Since then, his father Benton Quest, continued his search to find him. As of yet, they hadn't found one single clue that would help in the search.

Jessie once told her that the ground had swallowed Jonny. She didn't know what that meant, she still didn't. Jessie wouldn't say and Claire never pushed it out of her. Walking over to her closet, she picked out a burgundy spaghetti strap A-line dress she had purchased at Niemen Marcus a few weeks before. She laid it on her bed before walking over to the small vanity at her side of the room. Sitting down on the chair, she began applying her makeup. With a small smile she thought that this would be the last time she be doing anything in the room. After four long years, she and Jessie had finally closed the book on DC. It felt bittersweet.

"At least I won't be on my own," she whispered to herself.

She and Jessie would be working at Quest, Industries. Jessie as the lead Systems Engineer for Quest World and she as Doctor Quest's Site Research Assistant. Who knew that her background in Anthropology and Archeology would prove useful? Claire sighed unconsciously. Before really knowing Jessie, she thought her future would involve teaching high school, college if she was lucky. Now, she would be working with the world renowned Doctor Benton Quest. Sometimes life surprised her in ways she never even dreamed of.

XXXXXXXXXX

The two girls sat on a table near the window of the Starbucks across from their dorm building overlooking the students that walked by. Claire took a sip of her coffee before picking up the pastry she had also bought and took a bite out of it with pure delight.

"I hate you," Jessie told her as she watched her friend eat.

Laughing the blond hair girl asked, "Why? What did I do?"

"You eat all these million calorie pastries and don't gain an ounce, I take a single bite and I gain forty pounds."

"Oh shut up!" Claire rolled her eyes. "You have the hottest body in the entire university. I don't think that a day goes by when a guy…or a woman for that matter, isn't gawking at you."

"You don't stay far behind," Jessie reminded her. "Except, the only reason I look like this is because I have to pull double duty at the gym. When was the last time you went?"

"Hey! Digging for bones and hiking up and down camp sites is a work out." Claire told her as she took a bigger bite of her pastry for effect.

"Well, I know that once we get to Maine, there's not going to be anything to dig, so you're just going to have to go to the gym with me if you want to keep that pretty little figure of yours," Jessie smiled wickedly. "I'm glad I'll have an exercise partner."

Claire groaned in regret, "Don't remind me."

"The compound has its own gym, so we'll save on the gym fees."

Looking at her friend, Claire's tone grew serious as she asked, "Hey, are you sure Dr. Quest isn't going to mind me staying at the compound?"

"Why would he mind?" Jessie asked as she picked up her cup.

Shrugging, her friend answered, "Well, it's his home Jessie. I can look for an apartment close by."

"Doctor Quest isn't going to mind at all. As a matter of fact, I think he's looking forward to it. With me here in DC and Hadji attending Princeton, I'm sure it's been a bit lonely for him. And, I know he'll love having another person to do extra chores around the house."

"I'm looking forward to that," she answered smiling, satisfied with her friend's answer. Pausing for a bit, Claire cautiously asked, "Is Hadji coming back too?"

Suspecting why Claire asked, Jessie answered her trying to hide her amusement from the question, "Dad told me when I spoke to him last night that Hadji was able to take the summer off. So, he's flying in with Dr. Quest." Her father had come in to Washington a day to survey the area prior to Dr. Quest and Hadji coming. Jessie still hadn't seen him. Race Bannon wasn't supposed to be in D.C. until today. "He should be on his way to pick them up before coming here."

"He's still not done?" Claire asked.

"He still needs one more semester for his dissertation." Hadji was almost through completing his Ph.D. degree in Quantitative and Computational Biology.

"A Doctorate," Claire's eyes widened, "He's a year and a half older than us."

Jessie snorted, "He's a brain. When Jonny and I were high school, Hadji was already on his way to completing his Bachelor's degree along with his high school diploma. A true egghead I tell you. "

"Wow," Claire responded in awe before taking a bite out of her pastry.

"Jonny always said that Hadji was more of Doctor Quest's son than he was," she answered with a melancholy smile. "He didn't mind though. He loved Hadji as if he was his blood brother."

The two were quiet for a moment, "Well, at least Doctor Quest will have some company over the summer."

Jessie smiled. Suddenly, she heard the ring tone of her IPhone sound. Picking it up from the table, she noticed it was her father calling, "Hey Dad!"

"Hey Ponchita! Benton, Hadji and I will be on our way to the University to pick you and Claire up."

"Claire and I are at the coffee shop down the street from the dorms. Would you mind picking up us here instead?"

"No, not at all," he responded, "We'll be there in about ten to fifteen minutes."

"Perfect! See you then."

She ended the call and looked at her friend, "They'll be here soon to pick us up in about ten to fifteen minutes." Standing up, Jessie began fixing herself up, "How do I look?"

"You look great!" Claire answered, admiring Jessie's strapless a line black dress that accentuated her figure and brightened her emerald green eyes. She had made Jessie change from her previous outfit when she came back to the room after her shower. Today was a fun day and Jessie didn't have to look like she was going to go to a job interview. But Jessie, still having a serious side, formalized the attire by wearing a short blazer to cover her shoulders and arms. Her long, waist length red hair complemented her. Jessie was a red haired Barbie doll.

"Do you think I made the right decision by not cutting my hair?"

"I'm glad you didn't," Claire told her. "You have beautiful hair and there was no reason to cut it. Wait till you become a cougar… you can cut it then," she joked.

They had gone to get haircuts before graduation the day before. Jessie sat on the beautician's chair ready to cut away her locks when a sudden a memory of Jonny touching her hair froze her. She immediately stood up and backed away from her decision. Instead, she opted for a small trim of half an inch and a blow dry. When Claire asked why she hadn't gone through it, she answered, "Jonny loved my long hair. It just seemed wrong to cut it."

"So, ready to graduate?" Claire asked her, bringing her back to the present.

"I'm ready," she nodded. Today marked the end of one stage of her life. The other would soon begin and Jessie had waited five long years for it to come.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you very much for reading. Very appreciated. Again, if you see any grammatical mistakes or misspellings, please do not hesitate to PM me.

TJ12398: Thank you very much for reading and for your comment. I hope this is well written as well. It is 1:08 in the morning, but I wanted to post as I promised I would.

Anatolie: Thank you! I do hope it becomes a favorite of yours.

Guest: Thank you. No worries. It's a finished fic. I take longer editing it and making sure I covered any holes I might have missed in the first reading.

To those who have followed the story. A big thank you!

On with Chapter 2…hope you still like it.

**Inspiration Playlist: **

Lorde: Everybody Wants To Rule the World

Frou: Hear Me Out

Queens of the Stone Age: Go With the Flow

Jennifer Lawrence: Hanging Tree

Chapter 2

_Moscow, Russia 5:30pm_

The Metropol, one of the finest and most historic hotels in Moscow, was known for its renowned list of celebrity guests and important political figures that frequented throughout the year. With five star accommodations and amenities, DR128 was a surprised that the agency placed him in one of the most expensive suites in the establishment. Usually his accommodations fell nothing short of simple secluded places with minimal amounts of people that could identify him during assignments. But the Metropol was a historical landmark minutes away from Moscow's Red Square, where the hit would take place later that night.

DR128, as identified by the agency, was also given orders to make himself very visible. Throughout the day, he toured the hotel, swam in the pool and shopped at nearby stores. He even had breakfast and lunch at a popular bistro inside the hotel. Everything on this particular assignment was opposite from the usual routine performed on other jobs. He didn't understand why, but accustomed to never asking the why's of things, he followed orders.

The flat screen television in the suite's living room was on. Some American movie about two cops in Miami played, dubbed in Russian. He wasn't watching. Usually, he'd order in or purchase something to bring to his room, but tonight he had reservations at one of the restaurants inside the hotel. Visibility, they kept telling him. He still didn't get it. This was very out of the normal routine.

Sitting down on a chair by a small table in the bedroom, he looked over the tools he'd need for his assignment when he suddenly heard the ringtone of the disposable phone he was given. Walking over to the nightstand next to his bed, he picked it up and answered, "I'm listening."

"The assignment has been moved up to eleven tonight," he heard a deep male voice tell him.

_Don't question, never question_, "I'll need to prepare and set up earlier than expected," he answered indifferently.

"Start preparing as soon as we hang up. We will proceed as planned for the most part. You will attend dinner at 1900 hours. At 1945, M351 will arrive. She'll have dessert with you and the two will leave fifteen minutes later. Follow her lead. She will give you further instructions. Am I clear?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"I expect you to be successful."

"I will."

"Return to the hotel after the mission and await further instructions."

He knew he should have asked the reason for the sudden change, but if the caller had not mentioned anything it meant he should not expect an explanation. He only did as told, "As you wish."

"Make sure you don't' fail," he heard the voice say before the line went dead.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Race Bannon watched his daughter walk out of the coffee shop, he couldn't help to smile. Jessie was a vision of happiness for him. The last time he had seen his daughter was at Christmas, a few months before, when she and Claire visited the compound. During their stay, Benton offered them positions at Quest Industries. It had only been a few months, but looking at her now, the former I1 agent thought she had not only matured, but grown even more beautiful.

"Dad!" she shouted and ran to him, pulling the older man into a hug, "God, it's so good to see you Dad!"

"I've missed you, my girl," he closed his eyes enjoying having his daughter in his arms.

Letting her father go, she turned and watched as the rest of her family exited the car, "Hadji, Doctor Quest!" Jessie went to them happily and pulled each of them into a hug, "Thank you for coming."

"We wouldn't have missed your day for anything, Jessie," Benton replied with a smile. "Congratulations. I'm extremely proud of you."

"Yes, Jessie. We are very proud of you. I'm sure IRIS and QuestWorld are anxious for you to start your maintenance of them," Hadji joked.

"Never pegged you for a joker," Jessie responded smiling at her friend and confidant. The two had grown closer since Jonny's disappearance. Jessie felt truly blessed that she could call and talk to Hadji on those days when sadness crept in.

Hadji shrugged, "Every now and again, when the moment is right."

"Was mom able to make it?" she turned to her father with a hopeful look in her eyes. Estella Velazquez had been working on a major archeological project in Argentina and was currently in negotiations to renew a grant that would fund her project for another year. Jessie hoped that her mother would be able to spend a day or two with her. As of the day before, the outlook was bleak.

"I called her earlier. Estella's flight lands in about twenty five minutes, but she promises to make it before the ceremony begins." He smiled when he saw his daughter's eyes brighten. Turning to the blond girl who stood enjoying the exchanges, Race smiled, "Claire, it is also very nice to see you too," he said giving the girl another hug. "Congratulations as well. Your parents would have been very proud."

"It's good to see you too Mr. Bannon," the girl answered as she blushed a bit. Then turning to the other two men, she said, "Dr. Quest, it's also good to see you too."

"Congratulations, Claire," Benton answered also giving the young girl a hug. "I do hope that you'll be joining us tonight for dinner?"

"Oh yes," she nodded. Then she turned to the young Indian man, next to Benton, "Hello Hadj—."

He smiled a little nervously and spoke before she finished, "Hello Claire…Congratulations."

"Thanks," she nodded. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," Hadji answered before he awkwardly gave the girl a quick hug.

The girl hugged him awkwardly as well. Jessie watched the exchange between Hadji and Claire and made a mental note to speak to her friend in private. Something was definitely going on between the two.

XXXXXXXXXX

The square was full of tourists walking around, sightseeing, shopping, blissfully unaware of DR128 carrying the needed supplies for his assignment later that night. He walked over to an area of the square and to one specific building. A plump old man wearing a dark tweed coat and hat played his guitar a few feet away from the building DR128 headed as a couple of tourists stood around him, listened to the music he played. When DR128 found the entry doors of the building, he casually looked around convincing those in the area that he too was sightseeing. Then, when he saw the opportunity, he walked in to the building finding three people sitting on the front pews by the altar, their heads bent down in prayer. Being as quiet as he could, he walked toward a back hallway to stairwell. He knew the building well. The agency had provided him specs of the inside and he had memorized every part of it.

He had also known that the building was currently closed for tours. No tourist groups would be walking about, at least not for the moment. Quickly, he surveyed the area. There was no one around. Still, he wouldn't take too many chances by staying longer than he needed.

Walking up the stairwell, he found a small closet. Nothing much was in there except old paint cans and supplies. He could tell that the closet wasn't opened often, it was messy and lacked organization. _Perfect._ DR128 quickly dropped the supplies inside the far end of the closet and hid the equipment behind a stack of long painting poles before closing the door.

Making his way downstairs, he suddenly watched an old man walk casually from one end of the first floor to the other end, oblivious to the fact that he was in the stairwell. The man hummed quietly a little jolly Russian tune as he walked, never bothering to look up.

Once the old man disappeared, DR128 cautiously walked down and left the building. Camouflaging within the tourists that walked the square. He made it back to the hotel without a single complication.

XXXXXXXXXX

The ceremony started at eleven in the morning, but Jessie and Claire had to be there an hour prior to attend last minute rehearsals and to get their numbers in the procession. As promised, Estella made it a few minutes before the students began walking out of the ceremonial procession. She, Race, Hadji and Benton took their seats in the auditorium and listened to the ceremony, enjoying the guest speakers, the valedictorian speech and the professors that spoke on behalf of the school.

Both parents' eyes lit up when they heard the speaker call out, 'Jessica Estella Bannon.' Their daughter walked up to the stage to get her diploma, shaking hands with the deans, the president of the university and other elite guests. The four cheered and yelled as Jessie took the stage. A while later, they heard, 'Claire Erin Somerville". They all cheered again for their new friend and member of the team.

Unconsciously, at that moment, Benton turned to his older son and watched as his smile widened when Claire's name was called. Benton couldn't help but smile himself. Something was definitely going on between Claire and Hadji. He was curious to know how it would develop once the young woman began working for them.

Looking around at parents cheering on for their kids, the graduation song playing, and faculty shaking hands with students, a nostalgic feeling entered Benton's heart. His son would have been graduating too. _If Jonny were only here._ He still hadn't given up hope that he'd find his son, but with each year that passed, the hope of finding him lessened. Life had to go on, but guilt struck him every now and again. He should have been looking for him instead of enjoying moments like these. Race had told him that he had to stop thinking such things, Jonny would have never wanted him to think that way. But, Benton couldn't help it. Jonny's disappearance had been strange and Benton had done everything short of a miracle to find a clue, any clue. Unfortunately, he had found nothing. Some days, he believed with all his heart that his son was alive in Peru, taken by one of his enemies. Other times, he thought he lay buried underground, in a dark hollow tomb. It was the latter thought that made him sick.

"Hey, are you okay?" Race broke his train of thought as he tapped the doctor gently on the shoulder.

"Yeah," he nodded suddenly. "I'm fine, just wondered off there for a while," Benton answered with a melancholy smile.

Race knew what his friend was thinking. During the ceremony he had thought the same thing. Today was a joyous occasion, yet it wasn't enough to dismiss the fact that they missed an important member of the family. Where was Jonny? And, would he ever return home?

By noon, the ceremony ended. Jessie and Claire found the group by the entrance of the convention center after they took pictures and congratulated other friends. Jessie also had the opportunity to greet her mother and present Claire to her.

"Well, how about lunch, I'm starved!" Estella Velazquez said excitedly.

"I made reservations at Fogo de Chao" Benton responded. "After, we can get the girls checked in at the Watergate."

Claire's eyes widened, "The Watergate? But, I thought we'd be spending one more night at the dorm?"

"We thought we surprise you. How about we grab lunch and then you two go back to your dorm to pack up your things?" Race asked. "The movers will be there later this afternoon to get the things you'll be taking to Maine. We'll pick you up later and all of us will spend the night at the hotel before leaving for Portland tomorrow morning."

"Sounds good to me!" Claire answered excitedly. "I've never stayed at such a fancy place! Dr. Quest this is very cool of you. Thank you!"

"Call it part of your graduation gifts," the man replied, happy to see such excitement in the girls' faces.

"Thanks Dr. Quest. That would be great!" Jessie answered looking just as excited as Claire, except for another reason. She was dying to get home. The sooner, the better.

XXXXXXXXXX

_Maine, USA, Noon_

Phil Corvin waited outside one of the terminals of Bangor International Airport awaiting the arrival of UN Diplomat, Hakin Nur Daud who was visiting the former President of the United States' summer home.

The present Commander and Chief had asked Corvin personally if he could escort Mr. Daud to the former president's home where the UN diplomat would spend the weekend with his family. Apparently, the two were personal friends and due to the high level position Mr. Daud currently held, I-1 was given security detail.

Phil sighed. When did his job include escorting services? He didn't know. The agent had held the position of Lead Field Agent for the past seven years. "Escorting duties" were not part of his job description. But, he guessed that having the President personally call him for the favor meant he was regarded highly. Walking over to the main windows he watched the plane land. Moments later, passengers began to disembark.

"Hold positions," he spoke from the small headset inserted in his ear, "Daud should walk out in a few minutes."

People walked around the terminal minding their own business, unaware of the three I-1 agents keeping their eyes out for anything suspicious. Phil heard the overhead page announcing incoming and outgoing flights. Some people rushed, others walked casually as they rolled their travelling suitcases and luggage behind them.

As expected, minutes later, an older man with salt and pepper hair and a dark Armani suit exited the doors. Behind him, two other younger looking men with dark suits exited as well. "He's arrived. I'm approaching," Phil whispered and began walking toward the man.

With a smile, he began to extend his hand to greet him when behind the two men, he heard shouts from inside the walk way.

"Yeah, well, screw you also!"

Daud's security team turned around like watchdogs after listening to a young man, probably in his early to mid-twenties exit the doors. He was tall, not heavily built with dark brown hair and brown eyes. Wearing jeans and a black long sleeved polo shirt, he was not paying attention to the men in front of him, but rather his attention was geared toward the conversation he had on the phone.

"Excuse me," one of Daud's security men stopped the kid.

"What the hell do you want?" the kid angrily asked. "Get out of my way!"

"Excuse me young man," Phil now intervened, "I suggest that you behave yourself if you don't want any trouble," he finished as he pulled out his badge.

The kid backed off, "Whoa man! You're the dudes blocking me." Letting their guards down, Daud's security men retreated and allowed the kid to pass. Rolling his eyes, he answered, "Whatever," before walking past them and Daud.

He put his phone back in his ear and began speaking right in front of them, "You have no idea what just happened!" he continued paying no attention to the people around him.

Just as he walked down the hallway, meshing with the crowd, Phil was startled by the sudden screaming coming from one Daud's security men. Turning around, the ambassador went down shaking violently, white foam poured out of his mouth.

"Get a med team now! Damn it now!" he called from his piece as he went down next to the fallen man.

Quickly standing up, he began running toward the hallway where the kid had seconds earlier walked away. _The kid!_ Large crowds prevented him from finding him, "I need a visual Phillips. Kid early twenties, tall brown hair. Wearing a pair of jeans and black shirt," he called out to one of his men.

From the headpiece he heard, "I'm looking over security footage Corbin. Seems like everywhere the kid walks, he scrambles the cameras. I can't get a clear picture of him. All we are getting here is snow."

"Damn it! Where was he last seen?"

A pause, "Last scrambled signal came from terminal twenty-eight."

Corvin ran as if he was in a marathon straight ahead. The crowd got thicker as he tried passing them through the hallways. He kept bumping into people, pushing them out of the way trying to catch the kid. _Where the hell is he?_ He thought as he continued running, looking for the assassin.

Seconds later, he spotted him just as the kid as spotted him. Recognition entered their faces and the kid ran even faster until he found the doors of a stairwell. Quickly, he pressed the keypad on the wall entering the code to open the door and bolted right in. Corvin ran toward the same doors and just as he was about to open them, he couldn't. They were locked. "He had access to them!" he shouted. "Phillips, see if you can open the damn exit doors by twenty-eight!"

"We can't override the security code, Phil! Airport Security is on it…"

"Damn it!" Corvin shouted before he pulled out the gun and fired at the door. People shouted and fell to the floor as he ran inside and took the stairs. He heard the kid below him run down the stairs, but he wasn't sure what floor he was in, "Stop!" he demanded but his order wasn't met. "He's descended all the way to the first floor. I want every damn cop outside those doors." He suddenly heard the footsteps below him stop. Corvin stopped immediately and listened.

After a pause, he finally spoke, "Kid, I have you surrounded. It will be a lot easier if we come back in together." He slowly took some steps down, hoping the kid wouldn't bolt again. "Son, make this easy on all of us. You have nowhere to go, turn yourself in." Corvin knew every cop was right outside the exit doors. The kid had two choices‒ either meet his end outside with the cops aiming every available gun on him, or with Corvin a few steps up. Corvin sighed; he hoped this kid had the brains to give up easily.

Suddenly, he heard a massive amount of gun shots and a lot of screaming hit him in waves. Corvin stopped and pushed himself against the wall to avoid any shots, unwilling to breathe. _What the hell? _

Then, silence.

Cautiously, he continued down the steps and noticed light filtering in the stairwell. Sunlight. The kid had opened the door. Phil pulled out his gun and scoped the area. Something was wrong. _I can't hear the cops._ He quickly exited the door and saw in horror as five cops lay on the ground dead. The kid, nowhere in sight.

"What happened?" Corvin whispered to himself just as the police cars pulled up.

XXXXXXXXXX

Lunch was at Fogo de Chao, a contemporary establishment at the heart of downtown D.C. Jessie had a thing for Brazilian food and Claire, like a bonafide Texan, adored meat. The blond ate anything that came from a cow. Hadji…not so much. But, he did enjoy the Frango without the bacon.

"So girls, are you sure you want to live with two old geezers like us at the compound? The offer still stands. Do not feel pressured to live there because of us. You can look for your own place," Benton told them as the group enjoyed their food and drinks.

"Please Doctor Quest. I have always loved living there. Besides, it will be nice to have Dad and you around," Jessie answered, "And, I'll be close to work, so the commute will be awesome."

"Yeah," Claire responded, "I've been on my own for such a long time, that I really don't mind having more roommates," she finished as she looked at Hadji who she could have sworn blushed. "Besides, are you sure we are not cramping you both? I mean, it is a pretty good looking bachelor pad."

They all laughed at Claire's joke. Even Race had to step in, "Well, my love life is pretty dead in the water for the moment. Benton's is—"

"Race," Benton warned in a friendly tone.

"Come on Doc, I think we all know you are pretty smitten with Vanessa."

"Vanessa?" Estella asked, looking at Race. "Who is Vanessa?"

"Vanessa Hart. A really pretty lady that Dr. Quest has been pictured in the latest social magazines around the state," Jessie added with a smile as she watched the doctor blush.

"It's really not that serious at all," the doctor said shaking his head. "She's a very nice woman and we are just friends. Now, let's change the subject before the paparazzi over hear this conversation," he joked.

"That is right," Hadji now smiled. "No one, needs to know how much father 'digs' Ms. Hart."

Now everyone laughed a lot harder this time and Benton blushed more, "Hadji."

"Well, I for one, am glad you girls will be with Race and Benton," Estella answered, changing the subject as she looked at Benton with sympathy. The doctor appreciated the gesture. "That means that you'll be able to save money to visit me more often." The girls laughed agreeing with Estella.

"Yeah, I guess there are no excuses this time, Mom," Jessie replied looking her mother sitting across from her.

Estella looked like an older version of Jessie. Except for the shorter layered look she sported now days, she had the big green eyes and almost the same shapely body her daughter had. She and Race were married for a short time. After Jessie was born, both worked very hard to maintain a healthy relationship for the sake of their daughter. Jessie was truly grateful for that.

After Jonny's disappearance it was logical to think the next targets would be Jessie or Hadji. The kids always served as leverage against Quest Industries. Estella still had those worries, even though she kept them at bay when Jessie left for college. As things settled, she preferred to visit her daughter rather than having Jessie fly to Colombia. She felt the states were safer for the moment.

"I'm glad that most of the family is back," Benton replied. The group grew quiet, but he tried to bring back the cheer, "So is Bandit."

They laughed, but the small wound was still there. They all missed Jonny.

"So, what will our first assignment be?" Claire asked in order to change the subject.

"Well, I'm currently working on a project for the Peruvian government," Benton replied with a bit of unease. "It's in mid stages, at the moment. I'd rather have you work on an upcoming irrigation project for India that I'd like to begin in the next month or so."

Jessie put her fork down and looked up, "What project?"

"Well, the Indian government‒"

"No," Jessie shook her head. "The one in Peru."

"It's not what you think, Jessie," Race immediately told her.

"He's right Jessie," Benton replied stifling a nervous sigh, "It's a small study on the sudden change in weather patterns happening around some of the cities."

"Oh," she nodded. "Will we be travelling there?" she asked curiously.

Benton shook his head, "There will be no need for field work. It's just a study Jessie, nothing more," he gently told her as the group continued to eat their lunch.

Estella casually changed the subject, bringing the group back to the original light mood they had before. Jessie, however, grew pensive. By the looks of the conversation, Benton Quest would not take her plans lightly if he found out what she wanted to do. She'd be on her own.

From across the table, Race studied his daughter.

XXXXXXXXXX

Moscow, 8pm

He walked in to the restaurant wearing a pair of black jeans, a white long sleeved shirt, a black jacket, and a pair of black boots. The hostess took him to his table and moments later a waitress handed him a menu. A few minutes passed before she came back and asked for his order. He desired light dinner, Chicken Tabaka and vegetables. He never ate heavy before a job. He also wasn't hungry, but he had to play the part. After all, what good was it to go to a restaurant and not order a semblance of dinner?

He ordered a Hohler, a German Bourbon style whisky to help him relax. The acquired taste for the classic came from an assignment two years prior at Hamburg. With his rich blonde hair and deep ocean blue eyes, "Nicola Gehle" (as was the name of his identity for that cover) had no trouble passing himself off as a German citizen. For six months he worked in the IT department of a worldwide Fortune 100 infrastructure engineering and construction company.

The assignment was to steal the blueprints of an artificial satellite that the company was in the process of developing for the Bundeswehr, the German Federal Defense. The project manager, Kerstin Reber, was a woman in her early thirties. She also had long blonde hair that reached her upper back, but her eyes were a mere pale blue compared to his. She was a svelte woman, not beautiful as her features were strong and lusty, but attractive with a pretty smile and a nice complexion. At first, he didn't win her affection as easy as he had been able to do with other women. She was a strong woman, who had business acumen and a thirst for power. No one would get in her way, much less a twenty year old systems analyst. He studied her for a month, noticing what she liked, what she didn't. He listened to her conversations at work and, from his apartment, the ones she had at home after he had bugged her place.

From that month long study, he found that Kerstin had finalized her divorce from her high school sweetheart just six months prior. Mr. Sweetheart had not only cheated on her, but left her with all the debt from their marriage, a massive $40,000. The divorce took a toll on her and she had become bitter and hard, especially to the opposite sex. The information helped. He developed a plan to win Ms. Reber's heart.

On a bright Friday morning, as Ms. Reber was about to walk into the building, she watched the quarrel between him and his 'girlfriend' (another agent) just a few feet away from her. The 'girlfriend' was dumping him right in front of Kerstin's eyes. Not only that, he had made sure that the girlfriend told him every atrocity that Kerstin had said her own husband told her the day of her last confrontation with him, before the divorce. The scene was a bit too theatrical, but he scored a bull's eye. Kerstin felt sympathy for him, especially now that she relieved the memory of her own ordeal through the young lovers. Later that day, she called him into her office and spoke to him like a sister would to a brother when they needed consoling.

After that, Kerstin and Nicola became friends. It didn't take long for the friendship to evolve into more. They soon shared longer looks, closer contact and flirtatious smiles and comments. One night (weeks after the public breakup), as they both worked on their individual projects, he asked her out for a drink. At first she said no, but he insisted enough that she picked up her things ten minutes later and headed out to a pub about twenty minutes away from the office. She, of course, didn't want her staff to know that she was going out with a coworker and a man almost twelve years her junior. And he, for obvious reasons, did not want himself linked to her. That was the first night he was introduced to the whisky he now drank at the hotel's restaurant. He sipped it slowly, not wanting it to affect him in any way. He thought about Kerstin at that moment. A nostalgic feeling came to mind, but he tried to dismiss it. Unable to, after a while, his mind drifted to that night at the bar.

Kerstin was having a great time. He made sure of it. She drank a little too much; laughed more than normal at his odd and mostly unfunny jokes. Without thinking, her friendly taps on the shoulder lingered a little longer than usual. He knew it was his time to take action. The once flirtatious game advanced to prolonged kisses, gentle caresses and sassy whispers. It was in one of those lengthy kissing sessions that he told her that he wanted her. He wasn't kidding. He was a man and despite not having feelings for the woman, the drinking and his libido didn't mind the company.

She smiled. She had never had anyone younger than her. She had never really had anyone other than Mr. Sweetheart and to feel longed for after such a turmoil time in her life, she was ecstatic. They left the bar and went to her apartment where she climax three times that night. After, they made their relationship a secret to the rest of the office staff. During the day, they worked as colleagues, the nights were spent at her apartment talking, eating, drinking and climaxing. Kerstin did her part too, there were times that she made him feel very good. Soon, their conversations went from the ostensible to the profound and the topics ranged from daily events to projects they worked on. One night, after three months of secret courtship and a very heavy lovemaking sessions that Kerstin began talking about the project she was currently working on. She told him everything from what the satellite was supposed to do and the different security measures that the company had taken to keep the specs secret. Then, without saying a word to coax her, Kerstin volunteered the access codes needed for him to copy the blueprints he needed. The assignment would soon be over.

When she had fallen asleep that night, he called in to report his findings. They told him to eliminate her. He didn't question or repute the orders. He did as told. The next night, he made love to her one last time. He made sure to make her feel like she had never felt before. She told him that she was falling in love with him. He kissed her without reciprocating the sentiment. Instead, he told her that he wanted to take her out and told her to wear something nice. While she showered, he prepared her a glass of Chardonnay and spiked it with lethal substance that would put her out for good. He hated doing it, but he convinced himself that it wouldn't be painful. When she got out of the shower in her robe, he offered her the glass and they toasted to their relationship. It took a few minutes before Kerstin began to feel a bit lightheaded. He gently walked her to the living room couch after asking if she was feeling alright. She nodded, but he could tell that the poison was affecting her rapidly. He told her to rest, that he'd get dinner and bring it back. She nodded, told him she loved him, closed her eyes and died in her sleep.

He, in turn, took the time to clean any evidence that would proof he was there. First, he washed the bed sheets and put new ones on the bed. When they were dry, he folded and placed them inside the linen closet. Putting on gloves, he washed both his glass and the spiked glass thoroughly and put them back in the cabinet. Then he took a new one out, filled it with Chardonnay and made sure that she held it in order to put her fingerprints on the glass. After, he put the bottle and the wineglass on the table next to the couch she sat slumped in. The scene would play out nicely. Kerstin was relaxing in her living room while watching TV when a sudden heart attack struck her. She died instantly. No one would question or even investigate any foul play; not when she had done nothing out of her normal routine in the last couple of months and no one knew about their affair. As dawn approached, he left her apartment making sure no one would see him.

The next day at work, he acted just as surprised as everyone when they learned about her untimely passing. He stole the blueprints that night and sent them to the agency. Three weeks later, he put in his letter or resignation, telling his superiors that he had landed another job at a smaller competitor in Berlin, but in a managerial level role. During the three weeks there, he attended Kerstin's funeral services. He remembered feeling horribly depressed. He didn't mind killing, not when he knew most of his victims were bastards and power hungry aspersers to the cause. But Kerstin was different…he had grown… fond of her. Not in love, but fond. And she didn't deserve that end. He was taught that at times, he would be faced with ending the life of an innocent. Sacrifice for the cause was sometimes inevitable. Still, he didn't like it and swore he wouldn't allow himself to do something like that again. He'd find another way next time. He had to.

His meal came and interrupted his thoughts. Kerstin was placed once again in the back of his mind, only to be brought out to the consciousness when he allowed himself to do it. As he ate his meal, he surveyed the area, hidden cameras surrounded him. People dined calmly, enjoying the atmosphere. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Yet, he felt stifled knowing he was so out into the open. It had never happened before, not this way.

As scheduled, at eight forty-five, Agent M351 walked in. He had never met the woman, but he could tell it was her. Wearing a slick black strapless cocktail dress and silver stilettos, her wavy black hair cascaded down past her shoulders. She also carried a medium sized black bag. She was insanely white with huge dark brown eyes and a beautiful smile.

"Good evening," her Russian accent was flawless.

"Won't you join me for dessert?" DR128 asked with a smile.

"Don't mind if I do," her thick accent oozed from her tongue with chic finesse as she took a seat next to him, "What did you order?"

"I haven't. Thought I'd give you the choice," he answered before the waitress came by. The young woman ordered some concoction that included nougat cream, toasted almonds and what she said was edible gold.

Moments later when the waitress came back with dessert, she immediately took her spoon dipped it on the large cup it came in. Then, naturally, she lifted the spoon containing a portion of the dessert up to his mouth. He accepted and took the spoon into his mouth as she smiled. To her, DR128 seemed to enjoy the taste of the dessert. In reality, he hated almonds.

Then, M351 took the spoon and dipped it on the dessert and took a helping for herself, "It's delicious,"' she told him.

He smiled, "I'm glad you like it." He took her chair and pulled it closer to him as they polished off the dessert. Every now and again, guests would look at them and smile. A couple in love, at least which is what they thought.

Fifteen minutes later, as scheduled, the bill was paid in cash and the couple exited the restaurant together holding hands. "Follow me," she whispered to him as they headed to the lobby where the elevators were. Once they got there, she surprised him by slamming him to the wall next to the elevator and kissing him passionately. Paying attention to the cameras around him, DR128 kissed her back with equal passion. _ They want us to be seen together, but why? _He thought as he continued running his hand down her back and clinging to her ass. He was told not to carry his scrambler. _We are being recorded._ The elevator doors opened and she detached herself from him playfully, "Come on, let's have some fun."

The two entered the elevator where she proceeded to start the make out session again. In between the kissing and groping, M351 pushed the button to the top floor where his room was located. He had noticed the small cameras on the elevator roof, and paid careful attention that their faces wouldn't be seen too much. Once the elevator doors opened, they walked out. Knowing where he was, DR128 led her to his room as they took a quick sprint down the hallway. When they arrived to the room, he gently pushed her to the door where he proceeded once again to kiss her as he took out the key card from his pocket, slipped it in the door lock and turned the handle, allowing the door to open. The two went inside kissing passionately as the door closed.

Once inside the two abruptly detached from each other, "We will leave through the roof," M351 told him as she walked to the window, "Do you have the tools we need to detach the window?" Opening her bag, she pulled out a pair of tights and a pair of flat shoes. Quickly, she put the pants on and took off the pumps replacing them with the flats.

"In the closet," he answered as he walked to it and retrieved the device from his travel bag, bringing it back to where she was. DR128 handed her a small container as she opened the curtains to a small window that faced the main street. Then, he placed the suctioning section of the device in the middle of the window. Quickly, he switched it on as M351 opened the container and dipped her fingers inside, retrieving a white paste that she rubbed around the frame of the glass.

"Stand back," he said before she did as told and within seconds the glass had popped out of the frame. With careful precision, the two managed to bring in the glass plate and carefully set it on the floor.

"Let me go out first," he told her, "I'll pull you up."

"What about your…supplies?" the woman asked in a serious Russian tone that was different from the one she had used at the restaurant.

"I went to the square and found a place to hide them," DR128 answered her with an equal serious, but firm approach, "Once we get there, I can retrieve them from where I hid them."

"Alright," she told him, "Let's go, we don't have much time."

Carefully stepping on the ledge of the twenty story building, the man didn't bother to look down. He was lucky that the ledge was wide enough for him to stand on and that it was so close to the roof that he could lift himself up get access to it. From his pocket, DR128 took out a square device that had a button in the middle and pressed it. If there were cameras on the roof, they'd be now disabled. Once secured, he looked down; the woman was already standing by the ledge waiting for him to help her up. He did so immediately, and she was surprised that he lifted her up with ease.

"Good arms," M351 stated as she looked around the roof of the hotel. "The stairwell is over there," she pointed out, "Ready to complete your mission DR128?"

He nodded, "Let's go."

The two headed out and took the stairs that led them to the ground floor and into the main streets.


	3. Chapter 3

Good evening all. I'm sorry, I'm late posting. Hectic week.

Again, if you see errors, please let me know. Your help is appreciated and welcomed. Any little bit helps.

**Anatolie**: Well, I'm sure your guess is right. I hope you like how it unfolds. I do love twisting things a bit, so I hope you enjoy the story.

**RRL24**: Thank you! I hope you keep reading. This story really was a labor of love. I loved writing it.

**Harry101**: It's so interesting you would say that….it's also a bit ironic too. The reason I wrote this fic was because I totally fell in love reading "Love is Strong". I spent an entire night (till 4am one Saturday morning) reading your fic. It's a beautiful story, I do hope you finish it. I also loved it because it was so well written. Thank you for inspiring me!

I do not have a beta reader for this one, so I truly apologize if I missed anything. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Tomorrow I'll start getting the next one ready. Have a fabulous weekend!

**Playlist for this Chapter:**

_Death is the Road to Awe: Clint Mansell_

_For the Asking: John R. Burr_

_Epic: Waking Realization_

_Dream: Priscilla Ahn_

Chapter 3

Tourists at the Square loved walking at night as much as they enjoyed strolling during daylight hours. The two operatives headed north to the Kazan Cathedral. A cube building topped with a cluster of domes. The small, but charming church was the convenient place for the assignment to happen.

"You hid everything in the church?" the woman asked pugnaciously.

"No one would look for that sort of thing in there," he said soberly as they walked up the steps without looking at her. "I managed to enter earlier today and tour around the place. When no one was looking, I hid everything in a closet near the bell tower. "

"And, you are sure it will still be there?" she asked suspiciously.

"I put in a tracking device in the bag. If it had moved, it would have alerted me," he answered, dismissing her suspiciousness as he turned to look at her.

Nodding in understanding and backing off after noticing his aloofness in tone, she took out something from her pocket, "Use this device to contact me if you are unable to succeed. If you can't, I will eliminate the target."

"I understand. But I won't have to use it," he answered, putting the device in his pocket.

She looked at him, unfazed by his comment and continued, "One shot, it must bypass the heart," she told him. "It needs to be specific. Also," she said, as she took out a small velvet bag from her pant pocket, "You will need to shoot him with this."

He took the bag and opened it, seeing a single silver bullet with intricate designs. _A signature. When have we ever used signatures? _ "Alright," he answered not showing any curiosity in his tone or in his expression.

"I'll be around to make sure the conditions are appropriate. If all goes well here, I'll finalize my own assignment back at the hotel," she told him in a matter of fact tone.

"I understand," he nodded, knowing she'd be the backup in case he'd miss. "I'm assuming that if everything goes as planned, I will not see you."

"You assume correctly, DR128" she answered, a malign smile curled on her lips. "I hope I do not see you."

He looked at her dispassionately, "Same here."

XXXXXXXXXX

Phil Corvin was back at the terminal that just hours ago he stood by when he waited for the UN Ambassador's arrival. Now the man lay on the airport floor dead, half covered by a white sheet as the medical examiner looked him over. Corvin had managed to shut down part of the airport in order to begin the investigation.

As he walked over to the medical examiner that kneeled next to the body, he sighed with frustration, still baffled by the entire event that had recently occurred. A petite Afro-American woman in her mid- forties hovered over the UN official as she examined his eyes. The woman had the body of a ballerina. Her hair cascaded in layers down to the middle of her back. Today, however, she wore it in a loose ponytail. As Phil walked to her, he couldn't help to notice what she wore—a cream color pant suit that complemented her rich moderately brown skin tone. He kneeled next to her as she told him, "This is very strange."

"You're telling me Alex," Phil replied looking at her. "Did you find anything?"

She shook her head quickly as her pony tail swung from side to side, "Nothing concrete yet. All I can tell you for now is that there is absolutely no reason this man should have dropped the way he did, unless he was poisoned."

"He was," he replied immediately. "I mean…maybe. I thought the same thing too. Something must have happened during the altercation with the suspect."

Alex Perry, one of I-1's medical examiners, looked at him in question, "I heard your suspect couldn't have been more than twenty years old or so?"

He nodded, "Damn kid looked eighteen. He was young, very young…and quick."

"Did he touch the ambassador at any point?"

"No," Phil answered as he raked his salt and pepper hair with his hand. "He was close enough for us to see that he didn't touch him. He didn't even have any weapons on him….I don't know Alex, this case is just the strangest thing I've seen in years."

Alex looked back at the body, "Well, I won't know anything until I can perform a full autopsy. Will his government allow it?"

"Not sure, but I'm going to push for it," he answered standing up. "As soon as I have the orders confirmed, I'll contact you."

"I'll be waiting," she said before he walked away.

As he headed to interview yet another witness, one of his direct reports walked up to him, "It's the President. He wants to speak to you." The man handed Corvin a cellular phone and mouth _Good Luck_, before walking away.

Phil rolled his eyes, took another deep breath and promised himself that as soon as he could get away, he was going to buy himself a couple of drinks. Hell, maybe even ask Alex to tag along. "Mr. President, Phil Corvin." As soon as he heard the President's voice, Phil knew he would need more than a couple of drinks-he'd need the entire bar.

XXXXXXXXXX

BR448 sat in the passenger seat quietly as the driver that picked him up drove down the expressway with the siren on. As expected, his backup arrived on time. When the guards waiting for him outside the doors watched a Maine PD patrol car pull up, they thought they had extra back up. Little did they know that the "cop" that stepped out of the car would pull out a semi-automatic and kill them on the spot without hesitation.

The patrol car swerved from one lane to the other as civilian vehicles allowed it to pass. Neither men said a word to each other. It wasn't until BR448 heard a cell phone ring that he finally showed any interest in his surroundings. The driver pulled out a phone from a carrying case he had on his belt and answered it, "I'm listening."

"Are you on time and in route?" he heard a voice from the other side of the line ask.

"I am," he answered without a hint of emotion or hesitation in his tone. He continued driving without taking his eyes off the road.

"BR448?"

"Next to me," the "cop" answered. His dark brown hair was perfectly combed. He had no signs of stress or nerves and his green eyes continued looking ahead.

"You did well BK291."

"Thank you."

"You will be properly rewarded when you return to headquarters. The private plane is waiting for both of you at the airspace on Hammocks. I need to speak to BR448."

He handed the phone to his passenger as he continued driving.

"I'm listening."

"I've heard from sources that your mission was a success."

"Thank you Master," BR448 replied.

"You and BK291 will travel to headquarters. Your mission is complete and you will be relocated to a new area upon your return."

"Yes, Master," he nodded, not bothering to ask why or where he was going.

"I will see you in a few hours," the voice on the other end of the line responded before severing communication.

Once the call was over, BR448 handed the phone back to his companion. The two drove off to catch their plane in continued silence.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessie watched as the movers carried away the last of her belongings to the moving truck. After lunch, she wasted no time in returning to the University's dorm room to finish packing the rest of her belongings. Looking over at was now an empty room, she walked over to her closet where her carry-on luggage was tucked away in a corner. Pulling it out, she took a deep breath. Tomorrow, she was going home. Back to her family. Back to finishing what, ironically, her family had stopped her from doing years earlier. This time she had no doubt she'd succeed.

Suddenly startled when she heard a knock. Jessie turned around and saw Doctor Quest by the door, "Hi Jessie, may I come in?"

"Of course, Doctor Quest, please come in," she answered with a surprised look on her face. "I thought you and Dad were going back to the hotel with mom."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Is everything okay?" the doctor asked concerned.

"No…I mean, yes, everything is fine," Jessie shook her head immediately. "My mind was…elsewhere. I'm sorry. Please come in."

The doctor walked in, "Well, in answer to your question, yes, your parents did. I told your father that I wanted to talk to you in private before we met later, if that's ok," he said. "Is there a place we can go?"

She nodded, putting back the bag in the closet, "There's the garden downstairs, we can go there."

"Sure, let's go."

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was a small garden full of red roses, and white gardenias with fresh green grass all around. There were white benches that stood around the corners of the garden. A few students sat talking, others studying. Luckily, it wasn't too occupied. It made it easier for Jessie and Doctor Quest to speak freely. They both sat down on the first unoccupied bench they saw. Quiet for a moment, Doctor Quest tried to find the words to start the conversation, but found it suddenly hard.

"What is it Doctor Quest?" Jessie asked as she saw her mentor's discomfort.

"I'm very proud of you Jessie," he began. "And I couldn't be happier today. You graduating was as satisfying as if Hadji or Jonny had graduated today."

"Thank you," she answered content by his words. "That means a lot to me."

"You have many options and opportunities at hand," Doctor Quest continued. "I just want to make sure that you take them."

"I'm not sure what you are trying to tell me," Jessie told him looking at her other father figure with concern, "Doctor Quest, please tell me."

"Jessie, there are many companies and organizations that you can work for…I don't want to hold you back because you think we want to keep you with us."

"You don't want me?" Jessie was suddenly shocked.

"No, no!" he quickly answered shaking his head. "On the contrary. I'm excited that you'll be working for me. I just don't want you to feel pressured into working for Quest Industries. If you want to go somewhere else…"

"Absolutely not!" the red head shook her head. Looking at him intensely, she told him, "There are two things that I've wanted these last couple of years. One was to work for Quest Industries. Do you remember the first time I joined the team?"

"The Bermuda's. The oil rig that people kept saying was being attacked by ghosts," he responded with nod. "I remember."

Jessie smiled, "Seeing everything that I saw on that mission made me realize that I couldn't be anywhere else. Since then, and the dozens of missions you and Dad have taken me to thereafter, how could you possibly ask me if I really want to work with you? How could I not?"

"There's so much out there that you can experience," Benton continued. "Please do not misconstrue my words. I had the same conversation with Hadji when he graduated and he told me the same thing you are telling me now. If Jonny would have been here, I would have given him the same speech. I just don't want you to feel committed to something that you may not want."

"I want this," Jessie replied passionately. "I've always wanted this. Don't you ever think otherwise," she took her mentor's hand and squeezed it with affection.

Benton squeezed it back, "Your Dad would kill me if he knew we had this conversation. But deep down, I knew he was as worried as I was. I think you are going to be an incredible addition to Quest Industries Jessie. I'm glad and proud to have you."

"Thank you Dr. Quest," she answered with a smile.

There was a moment of pause between the two before Doctor Quest carefully asked, "What's the second reason?"

Jessie's smile fell away, "I think you already know."

Sighing deeply, the doctor replied, "Jonny."

She nodded, letting go of his hand.

"Jessie—"

"I'm not giving up on him," she interrupted him. "I did what you and Dad asked me to do four years ago. You asked me to concentrate on my studies and leave the search to you both. It's time I rejoin you."

The older man's gaze peered Jessie's eyes. He gently, but firmly stated, "You need to realize that what happened wasn't your fault. I've never blamed you for that."

"It doesn't matter," she shook her head morosely, "I mean…I know that you don't blame me, but…" she couldn't bring herself to tell him. How could she tell him that there was more than just a desire to bring back her friend? How could she tell him that what she wanted was to find the love her life, the man who was more than a friend, more than someone she cared for? How could she tell him that the reason she wanted Jonny back was because she had lost her soul? He took it when he disappeared.

Looking at Doctor Quest again, she answered, "I just need…my friend back. He'd do that same for me. I know that he wouldn't stop searching for me."

"I haven't given up either Jessie," Benton responded with as much fervor. "I use all the resources available to me with every new clue to his whereabouts. I will not stop searching for my son." He paused for a bit, carefully structuring what he would say next, "Even if I bring him back to rest with his mother."

She didn't respond to that because deep in her heart, Jessie felt Jonny was still alive…somewhere. And now that she had more time, resources and experience, she would stop at nothing to find him. Drawing closer to her mentor, she laid her head on his shoulder as her gaze fell to the rose bush in front of them. Sighing gently, she whispered to him, "You won't have to."

XXXXXXXXXX

The top of the bell tower on the north-west area of the cathedral did not allow for too much wind to influence the hit on the target. To kill off some time, DR128 checked the M24 rifle he'd use for the mission. The bullet he was given was already loaded into the firearm. A silencer was also placed at the barrel of the weapon. Perfectly set up on its mark, he realized it wasn't the weapon of his choice, but it was the one they assigned him for this specific mission. Easy to carry, easy to hide.

Earlier in the day, no one had noticed him walking about the Square carrying a guitar case. Most of the tourists thought he was a musician just like other musicians making a buck around the area. A young man and his guitar, no one special. It was easy to enter the church carrying a guitar case. He also made sure that if anyone checked the case, they would find what was expected, a guitar. No one would notice that there was another compartment in the case that hid his weapon.

As expected, the target arrived at eleven on the dot. Lev Stanislav walked up the steps of the Kazan Cathedral, looking around like a mouse searching for any predators. He looked at the buildings around him. People walked a few yards away from him, but nothing ominous presented itself to him. The poor fool was unaware that from the bell tower, someone watched him.

Stanislav, a man in his mid-fifties, looked rather nervous, even though he tried to hide it well. Again, he looked at some of the tourists that walked the Square, as if trying to discern if they posed a threat to him. About five minutes later, a second man came along. He was a tall man, taller than Stanislav, wearing a black suit and a hat, an attempt to hide his face from those around him. From the top of the bell tower, DR128 recognized the well-disguised man and knew what he would do next. Looking into the scope of the weapon, he watched the proceedings from above.

"Вы были?" Stanislav asked. _**(Where you followed?)**_

Нет. Я надеюсь, что вы не были," the second man answered with a sarcastic tone. _**(No, I hope you weren't either.)**_

Stanislav smiled arrogantly, "Я лицо как у меня всегда. Всегда защищен." (_**A person like me is always seen. Always protected.)**_

"Я надеюсь, что вы, право на,"_**(I hope you are right) **_replied the man in the suit, "У вас есть еще один шанс для выкупа, Станислав, все, что вам нужно сделать, - это убедиться в том, что наши проекта остается ... молчание." _**(You have one more chance at redemption, Stanislav. All you have to do is make sure our project remains...on a need to know basis.)**_

Stanislav looked at him in question, "Вы угрозу для меня? В Организации Объединенных Наций посла? Смелый, - это не вы. _**(Are you threatening me? A United Nations Ambassador? Brave, aren't you?)**_

From the bell tower, he heard laughter and the recognizable figure then said, "Я раньше никогда не угрожает. У меня никогда не было необходимости."_** (I've never threatened anyone. I've never had the need.")**_

"Я рад потому, что она будет гораздо легче сказать вам, что я не могу позволить вам продолжать этот проект. Это далеко не достаточно. Люди заслуживают ответы." _**(I'm glad because it will make it much easier to tell you that I can't allow you to continue this project. This has gone far enough. People deserve answers.)**_

Nodding, the man in the jacket sighed, "Я понимаю и извините я вас так много горя моего друга. Я уважаю ваше мнение и я покорно связи ваше решение. Делать то, что вам необходимо." _**(I understand and I'm sorry I've caused you so much grief my friend. I respect your opinion and I humbly accept your decision. Do what you must.)**_

Stanislav looked at him curiously, "Спасибо. Не лично, а народ. _**(Thank you. Don't take it personally, it's about the people.)**_

Looking through the scope of the firearm, he waited for the signal. The square was clearing off, people walked away, the two men were suddenly alone. Finger on the trigger, he waited patiently, not feeling any stress or hesitation. He was ready.

"Затем, я думаю. До тех пор пока, старого друга," the man in the jacket smiled as he tipped off his hat to Stanislav and began to walk away. _**(Then, I guess this is it. So long, old friend.)**_

As soon as the man walked away and a clear shot was present, DR128 pulled the trigger. Stanislav fell immediately to the floor. Without so much as looking up, the man in the hat and jacket walked away. Since DR128 had used a silencer, no one heard the sound of the gun. People from afar continued walking along the square without any realization of what had occurred.

Putting the gun away quickly, he took off the jacket and reversed it, showing a dark blue jacket instead of the black he had worn most of the evening. Then, he pulled out the guitar case, took out the guitar, pulled out the compartment where he had hid the gun. He closed up everything quickly before heading down the stairwell of the bell tower and walking down the street, passing an old musician playing his guitar. Minutes later, tourists began to walk toward the steps of the cathedral wondering what was wrong with the man on the ground.

Moments later, when he was safely far away from the Kazan, he heard the screams.

XXXXXXXXXX

Phil Corvin wanted answers. At around four o'clock, a few hours after the Ambassador's assassination, he walked in to the morgue of I-1's Maine Headquarters where Alex looked over the body.

"Tell me you have something," he said as he walked in to the I1 autopsy room where he found Alex sitting by her desk typing her report.

"Phil," Alex answered without looking up, "It's been four hours, what miracles would you have me do?"

"Everyone wants answers Alex. The President wants my ass for this and I need something before—"

"I know," she nodded as she held up her hand and interrupted him, "which is why I can give you the cause of death."

"You do have something," he sighed in relief.

The woman smiled, "Don't underestimate me. See that's what broke us up in the first place."

He smiled back, "It isn't an official breakup."

Alex snorted, "Seeing each other on and off every now and again isn't exactly a relationship Phil."

"Do you want more?"

She shook her head, her eyes widening, "Absolutely not!"

"Good. Me either. I like our arrangement," he exhaled sharply. "Now, tell me what you got gorgeous."

She giggled, "Not at work Casanova." She walked over to the examining table where the Ambassador's body lay, "Just performed a blood culture. The Ambassador, died of acute arsenic poisoning," she responded as she signaled him to come closer to her. "Look at this needle size puncture on the right of his chest," she continued as she pointed the small mark with her gloved hand, "Whatever that child used managed to hit the man straight into the heart. It took seconds for the poison to travel to the bloodstream as well. By the time he hit the floor…" Alex shook her head in regret.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked a bit perturbed.

"Well," she began, "I still have to conduct a full autopsy and confirm, but I'm pretty sure. I'll tell you one thing Corvin, this kid was very savvy and what he used was lethal. I've never seen arsenic act this quick unless it is consumed in great quantity and even then death is pretty painful. I don't think the Ambassador knew what hit him. Did CSI find anything around the body the size of a needle?"

Phil shook his head, "I don't think so. Wouldn't the needle embed itself inside the body?"

"I checked and found nothing." Looking up the man, she firmly stated, "There has to be something…maybe he took the murder weapon with him…whatever it was." Both were quiet for a moment before the woman finally spoke out, "I'm wondering, what the hell this kid used to shoot the man in the heart?"

Phil replayed the scene in his mind_. The young man walked out the door by the concourse, angry, yelling. He walked up to us, trying to cause…"_He was trying to divert attention," Phil whispered.

"What?" Alex asked watching Phil lost in thought for a moment.

_The kid tried to be aggressive. He even became arrogant when speaking on the phone in front of us._

"Corvin, are you alright?" the doctor asked as she looked at her colleague, sometimes lover, who seemed far away in thought.

_What was this kid carrying? He had no luggage, no bags….he couldn't have been carrying a gun._ Phil ran the scenario again and again in his mind. _ The kid carried nothing….except…."_His phone!" Corvin quickly replied.

"What?" Alex asked again.

"The weapon," Corvin replied excitedly. "It was his phone."

XXXXXXXXXX

Claire looked at the room in awe, "Whoa, this room is amazing!" The two young women would share a room at the Watergate for a night. The room, filled with antique furniture, a small living area and two queen sized beds, felt like a blast from the past. But, both girls felt its elegance despite the past era it simulated.

Jessie smiled. "The perks of working for Quest Industries," she responded sitting down on her bed.

Claire sighed as she continued to look around the room, "I just can't believe I'm here."

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked half laughing.

The blond young lady turned around looking solemn, her jovial constant demeanor suddenly changed, "Jessie, I never…" tears began to roll down her eyes.

Immediately Jessie ran to hug her, "Claire, what's wrong?"

""I'm sorry. This is so unlike me. I'm a total clown." Claire replied trying to lighten the mood.

"No, no you're not," Jessie told her. "Come on," she guided her to the edge of the bed and sat next to her, "You're the strongest woman I know. It's ok to let lose sometimes."

Claire shook her head and took a deep breath before she steadied herself, "I just never thought I'd achieve so much, you know…I wish Mom and Dad could have been here."

"They would have been proud," Jessie nodded with a sympathetic smile.

"They taught me that I could be strong and…" she couldn't finish and she cried some more.

Claire's mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Somerville were killed in a plane crash when she was fifteen. Both were prestigious lawyers for the District D.A's office in Texas, the couple worked diligently to put most of the state's garbage behind bars. Their last trial involved putting away, Jose "Pancho" Lopez, a member of the drug cartel that had been caught for transporting almost three million dollars' worth of cocaine to the states.

The trial was going well. Anthony and his wife, Yvette, partnered up in this case, Anthony being the lead prosecutor. They were sure to get a conviction. Two weeks before the trial was scheduled to end, both Anthony and Yvette travelled to Mexico on a small Cessna plane to question a witness who was unable to travel to the states. The woman, Cecilia Campi, was doing time in a woman's penitentiary for selling drugs in her cantina-drugs she received from "Pancho". They got her testimony and even more proof of Lopez's involvement in smuggling other drugs to the states. On their way back to Texas, their plane mysteriously crashed.

The Sommerville couple died instantly along with their pilot. Lopez denied any involvement with the mysterious circumstances of the crash, but he couldn't help to smile when he heard the news. The smile withered away quickly when he found out that Yvette, being the type A personality that she was, emailed all the copy of Campi's testimony to the paralegal handling the case at the DA's office. After their deaths, the lawyers that replaced them in the case took over and used the proof against him. In the end, Lopez was convicted and sentenced to fifty-five years in the state penitentiary without the possibility of parole.

Anthony and Yvette's mysterious deaths remain unsolved. Claire never bothered wasting her time and energy trying to solve it. In her mind Lopez had killed her parents and now, even though he was not doing time for their deaths, he was doing time. He'd die in prison; that was enough to satisfy her.

One of the attorneys in the DA's office, Miguel Llama, was very close to her parents. He briefs her every year on Lopez. If there is ever the possibility of Lopez getting a new trial, Claire asked to know. She would do anything in her power to keep the bastard in. She knew her parents would want her to and she didn't want to disappoint them. After the funerals, Claire lived sometime with long distance family members. But, after a while, the young girl decided that the best course for her would be to be on her own. She spoke to Miguel and he took legal guardianship of her. Claire asked to be put in boarding school where she'd spend the next three years on her own, but at least she'd have a roof over her head and people her age, who she could get along with. Vacations and holidays were spent with the Llama family or with long distance relatives, although the latter did not happen very often.

The greatest gift that Claire's parents gave her was that they had not only left her financially stable, but also emotionally strong. They left her a trust fund with enough money to set her comfortably for life. Miguel made sure to transfer all access to her by the time she turned eighteen (It also helped that Miguel watched her grow up and turn out to be a pretty responsible kid). The Sommerville's also left her with stocks and bonds that contributed to her financial well-being. Economically, Claire was set. But, as she always told her best friend, the greatest gift her parents gave her was that they taught her to be strong, capable and independent.

Pulling her friend closer to her, Jessie whispered, "What Claire? You can tell me."

"I'm scared," she shrugged. "Sometimes, I don't think I'm good enough for this, Jessie?"

"Claire, please!"

"I mean it! I don't think I'm smart enough and the last thing I would ever want is to be a charity case for Doctor Quest. Do you really think I'm good enough to be his Research Assistant?"

"Well, let's see. You managed to pull a double major in archeology and biology and you're going to do your Master's at the University of Maine while pulling full time work with one of the most prestigious scientists in the world. Not to mention that your internship with him was one of the hardest any student has ever in School of Arts and Sciences…this according to three of your professors." Jessie shrugged dramatically, "I don't know Claire, with just that…I don't think you're good enough."

Then, she shook her head, "Come on, even Miguel was impressed when he heard about all your accomplishments the last time he visited you. But, if three professors and your guardian, who happens to be the most prominent District Attorney in Texas aren't enough to convince you…."

"Shut up!" Claire giggled. "You know what I mean."

"You are awesome and you're going to be awesome. Doctor Quest was very impressed and I assure you that he wouldn't have offered you Hadji's old job if you didn't deserve it. "

"I guess," Claire let out a heavy sigh. "It's hard you know. I've been on my own for so long, it's hard to differentiate if people think you are good or if they feel sorry for you because they see an orphan."

"Doctor Quest has never seen you that way," Jessie reasoned. "I guarantee it. Put your mind at ease."

Claire nodded and looked at her friend, "Alright. Thanks."

Jessie hugged her, "That's my girl!"

Laughing a bit, feeling better, Claire asked, "What do you think Hadji will do now that I've taken his job again?"

"Don't get too cocky. At some point, you're going to be taking orders from the soon to be Doctor Hadji Singh." Her friend answered. "Actually, that might go for the two of us."

Claire didn't share this with Jessie, but she wouldn't mind taking certain orders from the soon to be doctor. "Hey, Jess, thanks. I feel better."

"Good. I'm glad to hear." Jessie nodded happily.

"Okay, I'm over this mushy stuff!" Claire told her with a smile as she let go of her friend. "Now, I've been wanting to know, what did you and Doctor Quest discussed earlier today?"

"You knew he went to the dorm?"

Jessie's friend nodded, "On the way back from returning the keys the RA, I overheard you guys before I reached the entrance of our room. You two sounded serious so I walked to the rec room and stayed there for a while watching TV. Then, I saw when you both walk out of the building and head to the gardens. Kind of thought you needed some time alone."

The red head nodded, "He wanted to make sure that he wasn't pushing me into working for him."

"Why would he think that?" Claire asked rather curiously.

Jessie sighed, "We've all been together for so long that I guess he just didn't want me to feel I had to stay him and Dad."

"Can I ask you something?" Claire asked growing quiet again. Jessie looked at her; her emerald green eyes curious to know what her friend would ask, "Why are you staying?"

"Claire!"

"Don't get me wrong Jess. You know I don't mean it that way," Claire defended herself. "But, part of me has always thought that there's a reason as to why you are really staying. You can look for Jonny without actually working for Quest Industries, you and I both know that. And in certain ways, it would be easier. What's the real reason you're going back?"

Jessie remained quiet for a moment before answering, "I have to make things right." Claire didn't reply, she continued listening to her friend. "And, I feel closer to him when I'm there. I feel that leaving would put me farther away from him." Jessie's eyes began to water and this time Claire drew her surrogate sister close to her, "I need to find him Claire. He's out there somewhere and I have to help him. I might be able to find other sources outside Quest Industries to find him, but Quest world is the only tool capable of doing it at a faster rate and I need every available moment to do this."

"Jessie, your dad and Doctor Quest have used Quest World for five years and they've been unable to find him. What would make it different now that you're there?"

The red head gently pulled away from her friend and stood up from the bed. Walking over to her suitcase she opened the zipper and retrieved a small silver disk, "Quest World doesn't have this?"

"Jessie," Claire looked at her with worried eyes. "What is that?"

"It's the key to finding Jonny."


	4. Chapter 4

Good evening. Thank you so much for the reviews! They are so very much appreciated and I am very grateful for them. My idea of posting every Monday is getting a bit challenging. This week I couldn't even print out the chapter. This was bad, I usually print and edit hardcopy. I can catch mistakes quicker, but alas, I couldn't. The organization I work for was moving us to another building and I just didn't have a chance to print.

So again, if you find mistakes, please, please tell me so I can fix them.

_**jdcocoagirl:**_ Thank you for continuing to read. I hope you like all the twists and turns this fic has.

**_Anatolie:_** Well, I am hoping that I can post every week. That's the plan. The great thing is that I have finished the fic and it is complete. The challenge is that I caught all my grammar mistakes…I hope!

_**RRL24:**_ The reunion will come soon. But I try to pace the story. So, it will happen soon. Jessie will do anything to get Jonny back.

_**harry101:**_ The key…the key….the key….Well, it will be explained in this chapter. I hope it is not too cheesy. LOL!

Thank you so much for continuing to read! Just a note about myself:

-I always complete my fics

-I believe in HEA

-Music tightens the story line. I hope that you enjoy the music selection as much as the story.

**_If the chapters are too long, let me know and I'll divide them. Till next week!_**

**Playlist:**

Blue Foundation: Eyes on Fire

U2: Vertigo

Coldplay: Us Against the World

6 Underground: Sneaker Pimps

Ivy: Edge of the Ocean

Chapter 4

DR128 had just finished putting the window back in its original place when he heard a knock on the door. Pulling out a hand gun on his ankle strap, he slowly walked out of his bedroom to the living room suite and toward the front door. Standing by the door with the gun in hand and the safety off, he called out in a perfect Russian accent, "Кто там?" _**(Who is it?)**_

"Won't you open the door to an old friend?" A familiar voice called out.

He recognized the voice and the phrase. It was a phrase that only the two of them shared. He was surprised. Visits never happened after a hit, especially from him. Immediately, DR128 relaxed, as emotion was never something you showed in front of this man or anyone else at the agency. Opening the door, he looked straight at the man in front of him with an emotionless gaze, "Master."

"May I come in, DR128?" the man asked politely.

"Of course," he answered with a curt nod, "Please."

He was about to close the door, when he noticed another person walk him.

"Hello DR128," a second man smiled frigidly, his smile pernicious. DR128 glared emotionlessly even though part of him inside felt a discomfort from the malignant gesture. This second man wore a long trench coach and a dark hat that covered the baldness. The same man from the square. The same one that gave him the signal to shoot. His thick black glasses made his eyes seem bigger than they were. He had an intimidating manner, a cold disposition and a way make people cower to him. DR128 felt that every time the man appeared to him. However, he didn't show it. He couldn't look weak in front of the man.

"My apologies Doctor," DR128 answered as he let the second man inside his room before closing the door.

The first man wore a black sports jacket, white shirt and black trousers. As soon as he walked in, he noticed the neat living area. Walking further down the bedroom, he noticed the weapons hidden away from view and a perfectly looking window that no one would notice had actually been pulled apart from the structure. Satisfied, he smiled and turned back to the living room where his agent and the other man stood by waiting, "I wanted to surprise and congratulate you DR128. The mission was a complete success. You did well today."

Withholding the reaction from the praise, DR128 answered in a very neutral tone, "I'm glad I met your expectations."

Master took a seat on a small table by the window, "We haven't seen each other in over three months. I was wondering how you were."

"I am fine Master," he replied, with such detachment that the Master's stare lingered a little more.

"Are you wondering if there is another reason that I am here?" he asked looking at his young agent with curiosity and slight wonder.

"No sir," DR128 answered. "If there is a specific reason, I'm sure you will tell me."

Master smiled at his young protégé, "You know that you're one of my best agents DR128, that's why I came to see you personally."

As the Master spoke, DR128 watched the doctor walk over to another chair by the table where the Master sat and took a seat. He had not taken off his hat or the coat.

Ardently, he stared at young man standing in front of him, dissecting him piece by piece, wondering how long before the kid snapped. _He isn't like the others. This kid is dangerous_. Unfortunately, his partner didn't feel the same way. Master had a certain fondness for DR128 that the doctor could not understand. He knew the reason for preference, but he still didn't comprehend it. Emotions were very foreign to him.

"I need to send you on another assignment. Would you like to know where?" Master asked with a fond smile.

"I will go anywhere you would like me to Master," DR128 responded with the same aloof tone. For the past three years, he had been assigned to Russia, Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus and Norway, he figured it would be anyone of these countries.

Wanting some kind of conversation, Master sighed regretfully. DR128 acted just like the others. He knew a conversation would not take place, but sometimes he wished the young man would exhibit some type of behavior, anything that would make him stand out from the rest. The environment he lived in caused the effect, but somehow, Master wished it hadn't.

_Well, this will not be something permanent_, he thought to relieve the guilt that washed daily over him. Another part of him thought it was for the best. He needed his agent keen and ready, especially for this mission. _He will change, but for now I need him focused_. "This one is not in your assigned area, but it is a onetime assignment. I'd like to send you to the United States."

He didn't remember ever being in the United States, "When would you like me to leave?"

"About a week from today," the master replied. "I need to brief first and also go over some condition training. I want you back at headquarters ty tomorrow midday. Your flight will leave at 0700 hours. The jet will be waiting for you at the usual assigned place. "

"I'll be there," replied DR128 with the same emotionless tone he usually carried.

"Good," Master replied as he stood up to leave. "We'll see each other tomorrow evening. We'll have dinner and I'll explain all aspects of your assignments then."

"Before we go," the doctor suddenly stood up and took out a small gun-like device from his coat, "Please show me your left arm, DR128."

Master remained quiet as DR128 did as told, without question. He pulled up the sleeve of his shirt and showed his arm. The doctor walked over, held the arm with his own hand and injected him with the gun.

"Alright, thank you, DR128," the doctor grinned cattily. Turning to the Master, he said, "Now, we can go."

Nodding, Master began walking out, "Have a good flight."

"Thank you, Master," he said as both men walked out door.

The doctor walked out first, but before Master walked out, he stopped before the younger man, "Do you know you are my very best creation DR128? There isn't anyone better than you. I need you to know that."

"Thank you Master," he nodded without any sign of satisfaction from the compliment.

Master smiled and tapped DR128's shoulder, "Make me proud."

"I will."

"Good," With that, Master turned around and walked out as DR128 closed the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What is that, Jessie?" Claire asked as Jessie walked up to her.

"I call it Phoenix," she replied looking at her friend intently, "It's an extra pair of eyes inside QuestWorld. I've been working on it for almost three years." Jessie took a seat next to Claire again. "Phoenix is my ticket to finding Jonny."

Shocked, the blond gawked at Jessie incredulously, "Jess…you're not a programmer. How the hell…when did you learn how to do this?"

"Well, my degree is in computers and as a system analyst I was able to gather some information on programming," Jessie responded with a nod. "I also took extra classes online, read a lot of books and I even had Doctor Quest and Hadji help me. Although, both of them thought I was working on school projects."

The girl shook her head, astonished at what her friend was telling her, "You learned on your own?"

"Claire, I was a book worm and a workaholic for four years. I never dated anyone unless you dragged me somewhere every now and again. I had the time…and the motivation," Jessie said with a smile.

Looking at the silver disc, Claire gently took it from her friend while asking, "So, how does Phoenix work? Does it even work?"

Sighing, Jessie answered with a small smile of uneasiness, "Phoenix is able to pull out people in a designated area based on the criteria that I set forth in the search features. For example, I can tell Phoenix to find any person who has brown hair, blue eyes and weighs approximately one hundred and forty pounds. She will download, via Quest Industry satellites, a recording of the area and extract those people matching that description. The recording then comes to life in 3D through QuestWorld. It's kind of walking through a scene at a specific time frame."

"Are you kidding me?" Claire asked impressed. "Jessie, that's impossible! Are you sure everything that you're saying can be done?"

"I tested it out last Christmas break," Jessie responded, now a little excitedly, "Without Doctor Quest knowing, of course. The program had some glitches which I hope I fixed this time around."

"You tested out your program on Quest Industries computers without authorization?" Claire asked seriously, "Have you gone crazy? Jessie, I'm surprised you didn't get caught!"

"I wiped out any traces of the program from QuestWorld," the Redhead shrugged. "I've worked with it for so long; it's easier to do than you think." She smiled, reminiscing a little of a time long ago. "You have no idea the stunts Jonny, Hadji and I pulled with QuestWorld. It helped that I knew so much about it."

Still a bit perturbed, Claire turned to face her friend more directly before asking, "And you plan on doing this again? Jessie, do you know what you're doing? You're lying to our employer and your dad."

"I'm doing whatever I need to do to find Jonny," she replied adamantly. "Claire, you don't understand what I've had to live through! I can't get him out of my mind. I can't give up on him."

"But Jessie…"

"What if you found a way to get your parents back?"

At the direct statement, Claire grew silent. Jessie had hit a nerve that now put Claire in a more understanding position, "I…"

"Wouldn't you do anything in your power to get them back?" Jessie continued, "You can't tell me you wouldn't, Claire. You've cried as much for them as I've cried for Jonny."

Sighing Claire shook her head, "I can't tell you I wouldn't. But Jessie, I can't get them back…"

"But I can get him back," she answered resolutely. "I know I have to tell them, but give me a chance Claire," Jessie begged. "I can't give Doctor Quest or my dad any more false hopes. Let me make sure Phoenix works correctly and I'm able to find a good lead."

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," Claire replied, "But you're my best friend and I love you." Jessie immediately hugged her friend. "I'll keep my mouth shut, but you have to promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If you get caught," Claire began, "You better make sure you have enough money in the bank to support me when both of our asses are thrown off the compound."

XXXXXXXXXX

The two men walked out of the hotel and into a limo that waited for them just outside the entrance of the hotel. Neither looking at each other, they both held complete silence, as they entered the car. Once inside the vehicle, the limo driver, unaware of the events that took place inside the hotel moments earlier, asked in a light tone, "Where to gentlemen?"

"The jet," Master called out before pulling up the privacy window between passage and driver.

Once confirming that it was safe to speak, Master pulled out his gun from his breast pocket and aimed at the doctor who practically jumped out of his seat when he realized what was aimed at him, "What the hell!" he cried out surprise.

"You ever touch my son again without my authorization, I promise to put a bullet between your eyes!" Master's eyes simmered with range.

"Get the damn gun away from me!" the doctor seethed. "You may think you run this entire secret organization, but don't forget that the reason you are and continue to be here is because of me."

A splenetic grunt came out of the Master's mouth before looking at his counterpart with a scathing gaze, "You damn bastard. You put yourself on this high pedestal that only you believe is worthy of something. You are here because you are part of my payroll! Don't provoke me again." He tapped the doctor's forehead with the tip of the gun he carried, "I won't hesitate to end your life if need be, especially when it comes to him!"

"Don't…" the doctor stopped when he heard the click of the gun after the Master once again aimed it between his eyes.

"When it comes to my son, all bets are off."

The doctor looked deeply into Master's intense gaze, he knew he wasn't kidding. Therefore, he nodded, accepting the reprimand. The Master put his gun away. However, once he felt safe again, it didn't stop him stating, "You're making a mistake sending DR128 to the states."

Letting down his guard a little, Master replied, "He's the best choice, you know that. His shooting accuracy range surpasses any other agent's range. He's our best shooter. What was his last recorded range?"

"Three yards," the doctor responded.

Master laughed, "See…we need him to complete this assignment. It's the only way we can take the next step. DR128 isn't messy. He'll do the job with enough finesse. We need that for this occasion."

Ignoring Master's train of reasoning, the doctor reiterated, "You also forget that he's also a danger to the organization. You've known this for years!" the doctor replied with venom in his voice. "What's going to happen if they find out we've had him all this time?"

"They won't," Master replied, "I've taken care of that."

"How?"

"You don't have to worry about that," he replied with pride. "They won't even know he's there and I'll have DR128 half way to Sweden by the time they realize anything…if they realize anything."

"I'm still not convinced," the doctor replied. "Something could still trigger his memory."

"Well, you took care of _that _didn't you?" Master replied sarcastically.

"I've only injected an enhancer. Not the actual serum. The drug won't work accurately without the serum," he replied defensively.

"I don't want anything that might hurt him."

"Please! What might hurt is sending him to the one place he shouldn't be at! What I did, I did for protection. I was protecting you and him! You knew that the day would come when we'd have to do this. DR128 will end up like the rest of them. You are only prolonging the inevitable."

The Master stayed quiet. He wasn't blind to the fact that the doctor had a point. DR128, his son, would meet the same fate as his counterparts in time, if there was no other choice. It would be the only way to keep him safe and away from the evil that had taken him in the first place. Still, he didn't like it. After everything was over, he'd try one last resort. Placing him like the others would only happen when there was no other choice. "Whatever else you decide to do with my son from now on, I advise you to let me know. For your own good."

"Duly noted," the doctor replied with a sigh. When it came to DR128, his partner became a bumbling fool. When would he start facing facts? "You know what I'll have to do a follow up when he arrives at headquarters."

"I know," Master answered with a nod. "The enhancer has a possibility of giving him an allergic reaction, I'm not too fond of that happening. Give him a second dose of the enhancer, but do not give him the serum yet." He looked at the doctor intently, "I will know if you did, so back off. If he has as much as a cough, get that thing out of him."

"Let's see how he handles this first dose."

Master looked out the window without a reply.

"Why do you take care of him so much? He's just like the others." The doctor said annoyed. He had wondered when his friend had turned so…emotional. This was a characteristic not suitable for men in their position. This career did not demand or require the emotions of people.

Master felt like shooting him this time. The doctor would never understand what it was like to be a father. He would never understand what it was like to grasp the last semblance of a family he desired, but never got. The doctor had no idea what love was, how it felt when you first saw beauty in front of your eyes; how one felt when you lost love. And, the joy resurrected when you found out she left you something to appease her absence. What would the doctor know? He had never been in love. "He's not like the others. He's the only thing I have left of Rachel," Master replied with equal annoyance. "He's my son."

XXXXXXXXXX

DR128 lay in bed. Wearing only a pair of black briefs. He stared at the ceiling, thinking and trying to figure out what was happening around him.

Tonight's assignment had been very different from previous ones. All the rules taught to him had been thrown out the window. Why would he need to expose himself so much on camera? What on Earth did Master have planned for him? He sighed, running his hand through his thick blond hair. Something was off. He knew it deep in his gut. He dare no ask. It wasn't allowed. _Never ask, you never ask._

Yet, he questioned. Sometimes he wondered if anyone else questioned. He doubted it. The few times he worked with other operatives, they never let on any doubt. Even tonight, the woman he worked with didn't have any of the doubts or questions he had had throughout the night. His counterparts never asked questions. They were like robots, lifeless and one dimensional. He wondered why he always questioned in his mind.

Looking at the arm, the one that the doctor had injected, he noticed a slight discoloration in the skin. In the dim light of the night stand lamp, he could still see the red bump that looked like a giant mosquito bite.

He sighed. Whatever Master was planning, he didn't like it. The doctor also seemed nervous. He was never nervous about anything. What did he inject him with? Something felt very off and very wrong. Never one to question or to act without protocol, for the first time DR128 felt the need for a contingency plan. Just in case this time, he was the target.

Turning off the lamp, he pulled up the covers and closed his eyes. On other nights he would force himself to fall asleep. Tonight however, he planned.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Jessie walked into the mansion after arriving to Maine the next day, she couldn't help to smile as she looked around the house. The mansion had eight rooms, an indoor swimming pool, two living areas (one used as a library/family room), a formal dining room, a study, an island kitchen and a small gym.

When Jessie first described to Claire the mansion and then told her that it was a place of warmth, her friend laughed heartedly. "How could a large place like that be warm?" Claire had asked.

"Just because it's a large house doesn't mean it's not warm, Claire. When you walk in, you just feel the warmth, the love in that house. I could never describe the feeling. You just have to be there."

Remembering those words now as she looked around, Jessie sighed in satisfaction. Sure, she had been there a few times each year when she was home from school, but this time was different. This time she was staying permanently. Immediately, she felt relieved to be home, but also excited to begin the next part of her journey.

"You look like you haven't seen this place in years," her father answered as he walked in carrying his daughter's suitcase inside.

"It's not that, Dad," she answered looking at him. "I'm just happy to be here."

"So am I," Race smiled. "Hadji is taking Claire to her room—"

"I can take my own stuff Dad, don't worry," Jessie told him as she gently took her bags away from him, "Why don't you call Mom to see if she made it back ok." Estella had left about a half hour before they boarded their own flight.

"I'm sure she's still up there. Her flight was much longer than ours, but I'll go check," he said as he started walking over to the study.

"Where's Doctor Quest? Wasn't he in the car behind us?" Jessie asked making her father stop.

"He turned to the light house," Race replied. "He's checking on some specs he received from Japan this morning."

"Another project?"

Race shrugged, "When is there not, Ponchita? "I'll go call your mom, I'm sure she's okay. Hell, I'm more worried about the passenger that sat next to her. She 's probably boring them to death with some tale of Mayan excavations."

"Dad!" the girl giggled.

"What?" Race snorted, "Honestly, I worry about any passenger that sits next to your mom or Benton…..scary how those two brains work."

Laughing as she picked up her suitcase, Jessie headed up the stairs and began walking to her room. But somewhere in between, she couldn't stop herself and headed to another room, Jonny's room. Putting her suitcase down by the door, she twisted the knob and walked in.

It was just as remembered it. Jessie hadn't been there in years. Not even on previous visits to the compound since she left for college. She didn't dare enter. Too many memories, too much guilt. Somehow, today, for some reason, Jessie found the courage to walk in.

The walls, painted in deep royal blue, had photographs of the different places around the world where the group visited during their travels. The dresser had his trophies and medals from school. Jessie walked up to the dresser, and picked up one of the medals reminiscing about the past, "You are such over achiever."

Putting it gently down, she continued walking the room, her gaze falling to his night stand where a particular picture frame captured her attention. It was a picture of her, Hadji and Jonny taken at prom a year before Jonny's disappearance. Jonny and Hadji looked so handsome in their tuxedos while Jessie had a cute bubble pink dress. Picking up the frame, she wondered what ever possessed her to wear a pink bubble dress, "I look like cotton candy."

She remembered that night, so clearly….

_The school had rented out the ballroom at a Double Tree Grand, an hour away from their local high school. Doctor Quest had allowed Jonny to borrow the Lexus for the night. Jonny drove while Jessie took the passenger seat and Hadji sat in the back. None of the three had dates for the night since they had just gotten back from a trip to Australia's outback. By the time they got back, they had decided to go as friends and see where the night took them._

_Ironically the only one who had actually scored that night was Hadji who had met Nicki, a girl who Jessie knew had a huge crush on her Indian friend. Nicki took Hadji away immediately as soon as they entered the ballroom._

"_Well, I guess we're on our own, Jessie," Jonny told her as they looked around the ballroom to find everyone on the dance floor dancing to U2's Vertigo._

_She nodded happily. Somehow, the mere thought of them being on their own for the night sounded rather pleasing, "Leave it to Hadji who doesn't even go to this school to land a date. Let's make the most of it. Wanna dance, hotshot?" she asked loud enough through the music around them._

"_Sure," he replied extending his hand to her, "Come on."_

_The two joined the rest of their class as they danced to the U2's rhythm of guitars and drums. Jessie never realized that Jonny could actually move; she was impressed. Then out of nowhere Hadji and Nicki joined them. _

_Dancing and having a lot of fun, the four were almost sad when the song ended. The high pumping energy of U2 died down as Coldplay's Us Against the World began to play. Nicki wasted no time taking wrapping her arms around Hadji's neck. _

_Jessie and Jonny looked at each other, a bit awkwardly at first before Jonny took Jessie's hand and asked, "Do me the honor Jess?"_

_Smiling, she nodded and stepped closer to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck as he gently pushed her closer to him. Swaying to the slow rhythm of Coldplay neither said a word to each other, until a point came when their eyes met and suddenly they couldn't take their eyes away from each other._

"_You look…really pretty tonight Jessie," Jonny finally told her._

_For the first time in the entire time she had known him, she had never felt her heart beat faster than at that moment, she tried to play it off, "Jonny Quest, you are giving me a compliment? Did someone do something to you?"_

_He grew serious for a moment before answering her, "I was being serious."_

_At the mere statement, she mirrored him, "I'm sorry Jonny. I didn't mean to…"_

"_I just wanted to compliment you, Jessie," he sighed, his gaze looking down to the floor as if afraid to face her, "I think you're the prettiest girl in this dance."_

"_Jonny,"_

_He looked at her._

_Thank you," she sincerely told him as she rested her head on his chest and the two continued to dance in silence in each other's arms. _

Looking at that picture that now sat on his nightstand, Jessie remembered that moment as the inception of their love for one another. The memory just strengthened more her resolve to find him. For Jessie realized and believed that a love like theirs not only would survive distance and time, but anything the world brought them. She couldn't allow herself to think anything less because thinking any less would mean losing him eternally. "We're going to find each other again, Jonny. It really is us against the world," she whispered to the picture.

"Did you lose your way?"

Jessie was suddenly startled by the voice of her father, "Dad! Sorry, I didn't realize you were there."

"I just noticed the door open," he said. "Benton usually keeps it closed."

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize…" she began as she put the picture back on the nightstand.

"No, don't be," Race answered gently. "He does the same thing every so often. I just thought I'd find him instead of you."

"I was just taking a walk down on memory lane," Jessie told him as she walked out of the room with her father and closed the door. He picked up her suitcase and began walking along with her.

"Good memories?" he asked.

"They were great," she whispered with a tinge of sadness in her tone.

XXXXXXXXXX

**One week later…**

Phil Corvin spent the last week working overtime trying to find any leads that could get him one step closer to finding the punk who had single handedly assassinated UN Ambassador Daud. So far, he had found nothing. The autopsy report confirmed what Alex had told him, acute arsenic poisoning. The small dose had killed him within seconds. To make matters worse, they never found the needle the forensic doctor had mentioned during her conversation with him a week prior anywhere at the crime scene.

Alex had later told him that there was a possibility that the needle had dissolved in Daud's body with no traces left behind. Much to his dismay, I-1 had not found any technology equaling the weapon that Corvin suspected killed the Ambassador. To the Lead Field Agent's frustration, the case was going cold and he was growing impatient.

Sitting in his office rereading witness's accounts from that day, he heard a knock on his office door, "Come in," he said without bothering to look up.

A handsome, well-built African American man walked in to Corvin's office with a confident stride, but a bothered look. Wearing designer jeans, a stylish long sleeved purple shirt and carrying a zipped portfolio in hand, the man looked like model about to pose in a photo shoot. Corvin smelled a whiff of the subtle male cologne, _Drakar?_ He thought. Immediately, he looked up knowing who it was, "Zach, I thought you were on vacation?"

"So did I," Zachary Scott replied as he made himself comfortable and sat on one of the chairs across from Corvin's desk, "I-1 Intelligence called me last night during dinner with a _very_ special lady who would have accompanied me to a _very _nice trip to Hawaii today. Long story short, thank goodness for travel insurance."

"What's going on?" Phil asked curious to know what would make his friend call off his vacation abruptly; a vacation he had been planning for months and had not stopped speaking about whenever the opportunity rose.

"This," Zach replied as he unzipped the portfolio and took out an IPAD he carried inside of it. Tapping in his pass code, he pulled up his email account, "Last night, Intel sent me this video that I'm about to show you," he said handing over the IPAD to Phil.

Corvin watched a young man eating dinner at what looked like a stylish restaurant. Another scene appeared. That one showed the same man kissing a woman in a hotel lobby. Then, after walking into a nearby elevator, the cameras captured the couple continuing their make out session inside the elevator. When they reached the desired floor, the two walked down the hallway to a room where they locked themselves in. Footage showed the woman walking out of the room about an hour and a half later, her hair bedraggled and a huge grin on her face.

Corvin's attention wasn't focused on the happy woman on screen, but on the man she had her hands on. He played the video a few times before whipping his head up and looking straight at Scott, who held a solemn look on his face, "This can't be him."

"We ran the description and even compared the man in the video with our missing person's description. Phil, it's a frightening match," Zachary sighed. "I don't know what to tell you, but we may be looking at him."

"Impossible!" Phil brusquely said, "Where was this video taken?"

"Moscow. Just last week."

Phil looked stunned, "This kid went missing five years ago in Peru and he turns up in Russia and looking too damn well!" He shook his head, still unable to believe what he had just seen. "This cannot be Jonathan Quest. Who sent you this?"

"I-1 Intelligence is still trying to find out."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Zach looked into his portfolio and pulled out some paperwork, "It was sent by an agent named…. Joseph Ruttenberg."

"I've never heard of him," Phil responded looking at the video once again. "He's I-1 too?"

Zach nodded, "One of our agents in Europe. Problem is, Ruttenberg sent the video hours before leaving for his next assignment. We haven't been able to contact him."

"Where is he?"

"Classified."

"When will he be back?"

"Also classified."

"Damn it! How did he manage to send this information and provide no follow up contact?" Phil slammed his hand on his desk, "Zachary, you've been working this case for five years, how can you be so calm at a time like this?"

"I slammed my fist to my office wall last night," he answered with a hard sigh, "I came to you because I'm not sure if we should even tell Benton anything at this point. At least not until we have more information or find Ruttenberg. My guess is that he must have come into this information by accident a short time before going underground. But, I'm surprised just like you. He should have left someone who could answer our questions. So, what do we do? Keep Benton in the dark for a while?"

Phil thought about it for a moment, but immediately nicked the idea of keeping quiet. If Benton found out he had withheld any information regarding his son, he wouldn't forgive him, "No, we need to let him know. I think we should take a drive over to the compound tonight."

XXXXXXXXXX

Hadji sat in a very comfortable chair inside the library reading one of the many books required for his dissertation when he heard the familiar voice of the Texan beauty that had now come to live with them, "So what are you reading?"

He smiled. It was ironic that in a house so big, neither one had had the chance to be alone for the past week without someone interrupting, "It is called The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos. I am going to use it to defend my dissertation."

She walked inside the room and sat across from him, "You know, I've been here for a week and every time I see you Hadji, you have a book up your nose. You're here for the summer. Don't you want to have some fun?"

Closing the book and looking at her, he replied, "I guess it depends on the type of fun you mean."

"Really?" she suddenly smiled as if she had seen a hidden agenda in his reply. She could have sworn Hadji turned red.

"No…I am sorry, that is not what I meant…" he sat up defensively.

She started laughing, "I'm only kidding! Hadji, don't freak out. See, you really need some time away from those books."

Relaxing and smiling back, Hadji shook his head, "Well, what do _you_ have in mind?"

"I was thinking we'd go dancing tonight," Claire answered excitedly. "There's this club called Oasis that I heard is really hot. Maybe we can go tonight?"

"You have a wild streak, don't you?" Hadji asked looking at her with keen interest. He had never met someone that he had so much curiosity in knowing. During her internship last summer, Hadji had seen her studious side. When Claire worked, she was all business; he guessed that when she played, she did just as hard.

"What would ever give you that idea?" she grinned. "I start working for Doctor Quest next week. Believe me, I will see very little party nights for a while. Why not take advantage of the time I have off? And what better way than having a handsome man like you, take me out?" Her blue eyes glimmered with excitement, and even though she flirted with him, Hadji could tell there was still a bit of shyness deep within her.

"I would be honored to take you out tonight Claire," he nodded calmly, before pausing for a moment and adding, "I have actually wanted to ask you out for some time." This time, he actually did blush. "But, would you mind if Jessie tagged along tonight? I mean, I would hate to leave her…"

"Not at all," she said. "I wouldn't think of leaving Red at home. For the past week, she's been on her computer working like a mad woman." Claire knew what Jessie was working on and she was worried. Her friend had been a hermit in her room for the most part of the week.

Hadji nodded, "Yes, I have noticed. What is she working on?"

"Jessie wants to have a project ready to turn in when she applies for her Master's degree next year," Claire immediately replied, "I think she's been trying to perfect it. You know…she's not a procrastinator like me," she laughed hoping Hadji would buy in to the lie.

"Oh," the young man thought the answer was rather strange, but decided not to pursue the questioning for the moment. At least until Claire felt more comfortable around him. Jessie had been working throughout most of the day for the past week and had been fairly aloof about what she was working on. Race had been too busy with security upgrades to the compound to notice and Doctor Quest had been negotiating a contract with Australia for a new site he wanted to open in Sydney. No one had really noticed much, except him.

"She says that with studying for the GRE, filling out applications and writing a kick-ass essay, she doesn't want to worry about finishing the project too," Claire continued. "You know Jessie, she's as much a bookworm as you are."

"Well, I guess an outing tonight will do her some good," Hadji told her. "How about we leave at around seven? We can catch dinner and head for the club afterward."

"Sounds perfect!" Claire exclaimed as she stood up. "I'll go tell Jessie. I'll leave you now so you can study a bit more." She began to walk out when suddenly, she turned around and walked back to him. "Oh, I forgot one more thing." Then, surprising him, she leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on his lips, "See you later Hadji."

As she walked away, Hadji couldn't stop himself from smiling, "See you later, Claire."


	5. Chapter 5

Good evening. Thank you for continuing to read. I am truly very appreciative of your wonderful reviews, PM's, Follows, and Favorites. Thank you. Again, I'm hoping that I was able to edit this well, but editing is not my strong point. So, please feel free to let me know what needs to be changed if I made a mistake.

Harry101: Thank you! I always worry if my story is dragging. And, I write a lot, so longer chapters are a standard for me. And yes, there are some twists which I hope you like. I hope that whatever I had on my mind was successfully transferred on to paper…or computer. LOL! P.S. So glad you like the idea of Phoenix!

Anatolie: Master is very special. Let's just say that he is pretty complicated. Kind of a madman actually.

JDCocoagirl: Well, there will be a lot of things happening. I hope you enjoy it!

Playlist:

Chelsea Lankes-Ghost

Ella Henderson-Ghost

Again, my sincerest gratitude for reading! See you next week.

Chapter 5

A knock on the door startled her into reality. Jessie had been staring at the computer screen for hours typing algorithms and building the appropriate firewalls that would protect Phoenix against any unwanted viruses QuestWorld might attack it with should it see her as a threat. Time had passed so quickly she didn't feel it.

Taking a break from the screen, she looked outside her bedroom window. The morning had brought sunlight and white puffy clouds. She had woken up at around seven in the morning, gone for a quick jog with Claire by the beach, practically swallowed her breakfast and showered before turning her computer on by nine that morning. Looking at the time on her watch, she saw that it was quarter past one. Now, the afternoon had turned the sky a little gloomy. The sun didn't shine so bright and the clouds were now a shade or two darker. She knew it would rain soon.

Jessie had missed lunch, yet she was not hungry. She had made ample progress with Phoenix and felt that leaving her room to even get a morsel would be a waste of time and progress. She couldn't afford to lose any more time. Whoever was at the door knocked harder, "Come in," she hollered, clearly annoyed.

Claire opened the door and without so much as a greeting, began barking orders, "Get dressed Red. We are going out to lunch and then do some damage to the credit cards."

"I am dressed," Jessie replied looking at her friend curiously, "What's with you?"

"Nothing," she grinned excitedly. "Just that I finally landed a date with Hadji! I can't believe it. Honestly, I thought I'd have to work all summer to get one date with the sexy sultan."

"That's great, Claire," Jessie's demeanor changed and a heartfelt smile crept into her lips. She had spoken to Claire during their stay at the Watergate Hotel. Her best friend shared her feelings about Hadji with her. Jessie was sincerely happy for Claire, though at times she found it hard to see Hadji as "sexy", as Claire had stated. "So when is this wonderful event happening?"

"Tonight, seven o'clock," she sighed happily, gliding around the room like a ballerina," Dinner and then dancing at Oasis."

Laughing a little, Jessie lifted her eyebrow in question, "Hadji? At a club? He must really be into you because the Hadji I know wouldn't dance on a first date."

"Well, it was mostly my idea, I just nudged him to agree," Claire replied as she lay down on Jessie's bed. "Red, I need your help."

Jessie snorted, now she knew why here friend had come in and interrupted her ongoing work session, "And what type of help would that be?"

"Come with us tonight?" Claire suddenly winced as she sat up.

"Absolutely not!" the red head immediately responded. "Claire, I'm checking to see if Phoenix will work at full capacity once I download it on QuestWorld. I don't have time…"

"Come on Jessie! You've been cooped up in this room for the past week. Hadji was already asking me questions and you know that your dad has already asked you once what you've been up to. How would it look if you don't go out with us tonight? Do you really think you can keep them in the dark for long?"

"Claire..."

Her friend shook her head, "No, Jessie. You know that if you want to keep appearances you'll need to go out with us. Otherwise, they'll start questioning more…and what are we supposed to say then?" Lowering her voice, she added, "Besides, if you want my help finding your former boyfriend, you'll help me find my future one tonight."

"That's unfair!"

"Oh, it's fair!" she added, "Now, what's it going to be?"

Jessie thought for a moment and knew that Claire was right. She didn't need her father asking her any more questions as to why she spent her days up in her room. Earlier in the week, when Race confronted her, she had told him was just catching up on some leisure reading she couldn't do at school. That lie would only last so long, "Fine. One night won't kill me…I guess."

"Great!" Claire jumped up. "Now, let's go shopping for tonight."

"Now?"

Her friend sighed dramatically, "Hadji was asking me what you were doing today…"

"Okay!" Jessie finally stood up, "I give up. Let's go."

XXXXXXXXXX

As the plane began the descent down the runway, the woman who had sat beside him during the nine hour flight continued her chatting over the perks of attending the University of Maine. The only time DR128 felt at peace was when she had fallen asleep for a while after dinner. Unfortunately, the peace didn't last too long. The woman had awakened after only two hours and began her chatting again as if the conversation had never stopped. He would have preferred her to have been a shy introvert who wouldn't cause too much ruckus. But alas, she happened to be a dancer majoring in drama. The woman was a full blown extrovert. Just his luck! He would have to do his best to put up with her. Judging from her personality, she was the kind of young woman who would ask questions if one didn't direct the conversation to her.

"You really should consider it, Josh." Her short blond pixie haircut with long sleek bangs in the front was stylish and modern, he could tell she took proper care of her looks, "Maine has one of the best criminology programs in the state and since you want to go into the FBI, you should really consider it. Did you know that we even have an I-1 office here?"

"I'll think about it Kara," he answered with a small smile. She and some of her classmates had been in Greece on a study abroad program and were just returning home through a connecting flight. DR128 had told her that his name was Josh Waters (the name on his passport) and that he was taking an independent study class in Russian history. His parents had given him the opportunity to visit the country after he finished the semester. After spending two weeks in Russia, he was coming home for the summer. DR128 was happy that Kara didn't question him about the actual specifics of the class.

"What is it about the University of Miami that keeps you there?" she asked shaking her head. "I mean, I know it's Miami, but I doubt you'll benefit from it in the long run, not for criminology I mean."

"Well, you may be right about that, Kara." The woman beamed with pride. He continued playing with her ego, "And, if I transfer back home, I'll be close to the folks, like you suggested."

He continued lying, but he had to admit, sitting next to Kara proved better than spending time with the doctor. The week before, the man had put him through a variety of tests he didn't find useful for the mission. These were memory tests with weird questions he couldn't answer and places that meant nothing to him. The doctor smiled every time he couldn't answer the question. At the end, he had told him that he had passed all tests with flying colors even though DR128 felt he had failed each and every question asked. He wondered why.

"Oh, I'm sure your parents would appreciate it," Kara replied. "And we wouldn't need our smartphones so much to keep in touch," she smiled.

DR128 smiled back at her. But only because he heard the captain's voice alerting them that they had landed safely. Of course, she didn't need to know that. Luckily, they sat toward the front of the airplane, so it didn't take them that long to disembark.

Once out of the plane and into the terminal, Kara turned to him, "It was really nice to meet you Josh."

"Likewise, Kara," he extended his hand to her. She dismissed it and immediately hugged him. The gesture surprised him and for a moment, he wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever hugged him without a purpose and it felt awkward. But, he managed to play it off and pat the woman's back.

Taking a piece of paper out of her pocket, she opened it up and handed it to him, "Call me, okay. Maybe we can meet sometime this summer for drinks or…whatever," Kara told him before a couple of her friend met up with her.

"Sure," he lied. He hoped he wouldn't see her anytime soon. Little did she know he was not attracted to blonde women. He didn't know why, they just didn't do much for him. Red heads, for some reason, called his attention more.

Her friends, who soon joined them, also bid him goodbye before the group went on their way. When they were gone, he found the closest garbage can and threw the paper she had given to him away. His eyes travelled to the signage around the terminal and he soon found the exit. Walking toward it, he glanced at the huge banner on the ceiling that read, "Welcome to Rockport."

XXXXXXXXXX

Race Bannon spent most of the morning and afternoon in his office at Quest, Inc. going over one of the security specs his team was about to create in order to upgrade at the main lab areas of the building, when he heard the phone ring, "Bannon here," he said after he pressed the button on his Blackberry Bold.

At first, he had been brought in to be a bodyguard for Jonny, but with time, and as Jonny grew older, his role expanded to Chief Security Officer of the organization aside from being, at times, Benton Quest's bodyguard.

"You left I-1 years ago, yet you still answer like an agent. You even have the damn tone down packed," Phil Corvin replied from the other line.

"Phil!" Race smiled, happy to hear his friend's voice. "Good to hear from you buddy, how are you?"

"I'm good Race, thanks. It's good to hear you too. I heard that Jessie graduated last week."

Confirming the question asked, Race walked out of his office and locked the door. Making his way to the Plant Operations area where he had to speak to one of the engineers before heading back to the compound, he answered, "Can you believe it, Phil? A systems engineer! Jessie's all grown up. We're getting old man."

"No kidding," Corvin responded. "When Mark graduated with his BA in criminology, I thought I was old. Next year, he graduates with his JD. You don't want to know how I'm feeling."

"Ah, Phil, I'm still coping, don't make it sound worse," Race laughed as he continued walking. "How's Alex doing? You two…"

"No, not for the moment that is," the man on the other side of the phone laughed. After his first wife Eleanor passed almost ten years back, Phil would find himself unable to commit. He figured he would someday, but so far it was highly unlikely. For the moment, Alex was the closest woman he would think about committing to and then again, neither felt compelled to take that extra step in their relationship. "Alex and I kind of like how things are at the moment."

Race laughed, "You two are never going to accept that you belong with each other."

"Just like you and Jade, huh?"

"That's different," Race replied laughed. "Jade still feels like she needs to travel the world. She isn't ready to settle."

"Please," Phil taunted, "If she came back and told you she was ready, you'd quit Quest Industries and run away never to be seen or heard from again."

The white haired man laughed, "You're an ass."

"You're just saying that because I'm right," he responded. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"About three months ago, I went to visit her…" he stopped himself, "At an undisclosed location I swore I'd never tell."

"That woman is nuts."

"She's a sexy nut," Race beamed. Inside he hoped that one day both of them would find a way to be together permanently.

"How's Benton?" The questioning continued.

At this he sighed, "He's better now, last week was kind of bittersweet. Jonny would have graduated too, you know."

"I figured," Phil responded. "That's what I thought." He paused for a moment. Race took note of it immediately, but before having a chance to ask, Corvin began talking again, "Hey, do you mind if I pay you and Benton a visit tonight at the compound?"

Race felt anxiousness creeping in and stopped walking. Standing in the hallway as others curiously watched his body language and features of concern on his face, he asked, "Phil, what's going on?"

"Listen, I think it would be better if we speak to you and Benton personally. Zack and I will be at the compound by eight o'clock tonight."

Race's heart started pounding, "Is this about Jonny? Is he…"

"Calm down Race. At this point, nothing in the investigation has changed. As far as we're concerned, Jonny is still missing."

XXXXXXXXXX

The Master kept a picture of Rachel in the first drawer of the left side of his desk. Every opportunity when he had a chance to breathe, when there were no meetings, no conference calls, no one entering his office, he took the picture out and gazed lovingly at her. Rachel had been a beautiful woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes and just a gorgeous figure that no other woman had matched since she left him. His heart ached, when he saw her with Benton. After he found out about his son, anger burned his heart. Somehow he had to find a way to get his son and Rachel back. In the midst of planning getting his family, Rachel was killed.

Master had thought he had lost the world when she died. Rachel meant everything to him and her death devastated every aspect of his life. He felt empty, until he realized that his son could fill some of the void. He then did everything in his power to make sure to get him. And, after some years, he succeeded. Getting his son was the greatest achievement he had done in his lifetime. In the last five years, Master made sure to raise him the way he dreamed of, a trained fighter, a perfect spy.

A knock at the door disrupted his thoughts, "Come in."

The doctor walked in with the serious look he usually wore as the Master put the picture away in the drawer, "He arrived to Rockport with no detection and has checked in to the hotel assigned."

Nodding, the Master sighed, "I think that after this mission, I will tell him the truth."

The doctor sat on the chair across the Master's desk, "Now, why would you want to do that?"

"He's my son. I want to tell him the truth. I want him…"

"To what?" the doctor questioned sarcastically. "What is it that you want? You want him to know exactly who you are? What you did to him? Do you really want to tell him who he really is?"

"He is my son! That's who he is!" Master shouted.

"You're delusional," the doctor calmly shook his head. "Telling him the truth won't change anything. What do you even think will happen after? That he'll pull you into his arms? Tell you 'Dad, I've missed you.' Please, you've trained him to be a killer and that's who he will always be. One emotionless killer."

"He's not like the others."

"And that's a mistake you made. He isn't like the others, that's why he's dangerous," the doctor replied. "You're playing with fire. It's just a matter of time."

"Everything will be fine," Master shook his head, "After this mission, we'll go away for a while. I'll tell him the truth about me, about his mother, about who he is."

"Then what? It's not like he can work alongside of you," the doctor reasoned, "If Quest finds out…"

"It doesn't matter if Quest finds out," Master smirked. "My son will know the truth and what he did to our family."

The doctor laughed, "You're crazy." He stood up and began walking to the door, "It's your choice, but like I said, you're making a mistake. DR128, or Aidan as you want to name him, is dangerous. "

"You keep telling me that, yet you don't tell me why."

Turning to him again, he asked with disbelief, "Haven't you noticed that he's never questioned you or me for that matter?"

"He trusts us." Master reasoned.

The doctor snorted, "No. He's thinking, questioning inside his head. When I questioned him about places he visited in his past, when I showed him pictures of Quest, his friends, brother, he didn't remember a thing, but I could tell that he was dying to ask me who those people were and why he was being asked questions he didn't have the answers to. Haven't you ever questioned why he acts like the others, even though he not conditioned like them?" The doctor shook his head, "He's thinking, strategizing. He's capable of turning rogue on us if he suspects anything…."

"What can he possibly suspect?" Master was now the one who laughed.

"I don't know, but he's back home," the doctor stood up and began walking out of the room. "Anything can trigger his memory and if it does, I'm telling you we will have a very hard time with him."

"You just told me that he had no recollection of anything or anyone from his past and I'm sure you gave him another booster shot as an added measure."

"Yes, I gave him the booster. But that won't prevent the memories from coming back. The booster will only inhibit the brain from anything that will stimulate memory. But if something triggers the brain deep enough for the memory to surface…

"We've been giving him booster shots for years. The memories are gone."

The doctor shook his head, "You don't know the human brain. Why won't you let me program him? I already gave him the first dosage and he didn't experience any side effects. Let me—"

"No," Master told him. His voice lowered his gaze and his tone changed to a menacing one. "I told you, I don't want him to put under. He has been able to function for the last five years without the drug. Besides, I don't want him turned like the others."

"You're so stubborn," the Doctor shook his head.

"Oliver, he will be in and out," Master said seriously, "You shouldn't worry."

"Don't be surprised when I say, 'I told you so,'" the Doctor shook his head before opening the door and walking out.

After his colleague left, Master opened the drawer again and took out the picture of his beloved. Then, he retrieved a second picture, one of his son. He looked at his family, the one he longed for, the one he lost. There was no reason for sending him to his former home other than the fact that his son really was the best agent for the job. As the head of the organization, he had to make the conscious decision to let his best agents do the most important assignment the agency had ever had. Yet, the doctor's words worried him deeper than he let on. What if something did go wrong? And worse, what if he couldn't provide damage control?

XXXXXXXXX

After checking in with headquarters at the hotel he was assigned in, DR128 went ahead and took a taxi to the local Enterprise dealer, where he rented the car needed to complete the assignment for later that night. He thought about renting a vehicle by the airport, but security had been tight since one of his colleagues had assassinated a target the week prior, the faster he was out of the airport, the better.

He went back to the hotel about forty-five minutes later, ordered room service and opened his laptop to check the confirmation on a cottage he had reserved. He had rented it for a week, not really expecting to stay that long, but he couldn't get it for any time less.

"What the hell am I doing?" he whispered to himself as he looked at the computer screen. Nothing had happened to make him question his protectors, yet, things felt off for some reason. After the weird testing the doctor had performed, not to mention another injection that clouded his mind for a moment, and the brief meeting with Master telling him about the assignments, he felt uneasy. Later that day, he hacked into the system and managed to rent the cottage without anyone knowing. Sighing, he closed the laptop.

Then, pulled out the IPad from his bag and began reading the document that had been sent to him on his target, "Stephano Remini….guess your time's up."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Benton!" Race called out as he briskly walked into the mansion, "Benton, are you here?"

Doctor Quest walked out of the study with a look of concern, "Race, what's going on?"

"Where are the kids?" he asked as he walked closer to the doctor.

"The girls went out for lunch and Hadji's at the bookstore getting another book he needs for school," Benton replied maintaining the concern in his tone. "Race, what's going on?"

The white haired man walked into the study and sat down on the sofa. From the corner of his eye, he watched as the doctor followed him, "Take a seat Benton."

"I rather not," Benton shook his head, "Tell me what the hell is going on?"

Race paused for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts before he spoke again, "I had a call from Phil Corvin earlier today." He couldn't meet his friend's eyes. So many years, so many dead ends. What if tonight was yet another? Race doubted that Benton could put up with any more false promises.

"And?" Doctor Quest replied now even more worried at whatever message Race would bring.

"He's coming tonight to speak to us," Race continued as he had no choice but to look up and meet Quest's gaze, "It's about Jonny." The former I-1 could have sworn he witnessed Benton Quest's face turn white, "Benton, have a seat."

Without listening the doctor continued, "They…they…found him? Is my son…"

"No," he immediately shook his head. "No, they haven't found him."

"But…"

"I have no idea Benton," Race replied, "I wish to hell I knew what Corvin wants to tell us."

At that point, the doctor finally sat down across from Race on one of the sofa's located close to the fireplace, "What was it that he told you?"

"Nothing Benton," Race sighed, "Only that he had something he wanted to share with us and that he and Zack would come tonight to us."

"Zack is coming too? At what time are they coming?"

"They should be here by eight," he replied with a heavy sigh.

"Good," Benton nodded still uneasy. "Jessie, Hadji and Claire are going out tonight."

Curious all of the sudden, Race asked, "Where are they going?"

"Hadji told me that the girls wanted to go out to dinner and then dancing," the doctor explained, "They are leaving at seven."

"Then, it's a good thing they won't be here. I don't want Jessie to get any ideas based on what Phil and Zack tell us."

"I don't want them to know anything about this until we learn more about this situation ourselves," Benton nodded. "You are right, Jessie doesn't need this and we shouldn't get Hadji's hopes up either."

"I agree."

Both men remained silent for a long moment. Benton stared out the window. The sun was slowly being covered by dark clouds looming over the sky, "What is Corvin going to tell us tonight?" Benton sighed.

"I don't know, Benton," Race answered with a heavy sigh, "But whatever it is, it's a lead. And it's the best thing we've heard in the last five years."

XXXXXXXXXX

After a nice lunch at Season's and some shopping, the girls, or rather Claire, decided that they should treat themselves to a mani/pedi at a nearby spa. After the pamper session, the plan was to go home and rest. That was until Claire practically begged Jessie to drive by the club they would be heading tonight.

"Why would you want to go now? We'll be there in a couple of hours," Jessie asked as they drove the red Jeep Liberty down Sheppard Street a few blocks from the club. The Jeep was a gift from her dad on her seventeenth birthday. Both she and Jonny had received cars that year. She had the Jeep, Jonny had the dark gray mustang. Hadji had received his car, an Acura RDX, the year before. Needless to say both she and Jonny were static that Hadji didn't have to drive them everywhere any more. She had always been a little envious of the mustang, but her father had been adamant about making her drive the SUV. Either way, it didn't matter. Every time they were together Jonny let her drive his car. In the end, she had pretty much the best of both worlds.

"Jessie, I don't know how to get anywhere around this city. Might as well learn a little each day," Claire replied as she began changing the station on the radio. "Besides, if I really like the place maybe I'll go on my own next time."

The red head laughed, "Please! I don't know Claire, but after tonight, Hadji might not want that. After all, with what you're wearing this evening, I doubt he'll let you out of his sight."

The comment made Claire exceptionally happy for she beamed with delight, "You think so?"

"I know so," Jessie nodded, "I don't know why you just didn't ask him out sooner. You two have been making goo golly eyes at each other for the past two years."

"It's wasn't that easy," Claire responded with a shrug. "He's a brain and I'm the typical party girl. Maybe now that I'm working with him, he'll get to see the more serious side of me. "

"Come on! Spare me the pity party," Jessie laughed. "You're at least half the brain he is!"

"Half the brain?"

She shrugged, "Okay…a third. It's Hadji after all." Both girls laughed before Jessie continued, "Honestly Claire, Hadji's been into you since the first time you two met. You're literally the yin to his yang. He needs you to loosen up. I guarantee that's one of the reasons he's attracted to you. You make it comfortable for him to loosen up."

Claire remembered the little banter the two had had in the study earlier on that day. Hadji had loosened up for her, "Hopefully, he'll do so tonight," Claire sighed. "Anyways, maybe you'll get lucky too."

Jessie rolled her eyes, "Don't intend to."

Looking at her friend, Claire responded, "Listen Jess, I'm not telling you to marry or sleep with anyone, but at least have a little fun…you can't devote your life to…"

"Let's change the subject," Jessie smiled uncomfortably. "Claire, I'm going to have some fun tonight. Mainly laughing at the likes of you two idiots."

"Hey!"

She laughed, "No, really. That's all I need for now." _That's all I want_, she said to herself.

"Alright," Claire rolled her eyes. "So, are you going to take me or am I going to have to whine until you do?"

"Fine," Jessie shook her head and laughed before putting on the turn signal, "We're actually about ten minutes away anyway."

XXXXXXXXXX

After a light lunch that consisted of a vegetarian pita with baked fries and a sweet iced tea, DR128 reread for one last time the information on his target. He felt confident he'd be able to pick him out from a crowd. Feeling cabin fever creeping in after two hours in the hotel room, he changed into a pair of black Nike sweatpants, a grey T-shirt and grey Nike hoodie.

Pulling out an ITouch from his bag, he put it inside one of the arm pockets of the hoodie. Running was part of his exercise regimen. Seven miles a day. Those were the requirements. He hadn't been able to do it that morning since he had had an early flight. Doing it now would serve two purposes other than fulfilling his daily exercise requirement. One, the target site was four miles from the hotel, he'd be able to scope out the area and devise any escape plan if need be. And second, he'd be able to see if anyone was following him.

Leaving the room, he took the elevator down the lobby and then walked outside. The sunny day had turned a bit overcast and the sixty degree temperature felt even colder. Putting the hoodie over his head, he began jogging but diligently looking everywhere around him.

XXXXXXXXXX

Benton entered his son's room and looked around. Taking a deep breath, he sat down on the bed and lowered his head, "Please God, please…"

He then heard a knock on the door that made him look up, "I thought I'd find you here." He watched Race walk in, "Benton, you need to take this news with a grain of salt. It might be nothing."

"I now," he nodded. "But we haven't heard anything in so long. And now, out of nowhere they find something. I can't help feeling…hopeful."

"Benton…."

"If it would have been Jessie?" the doctor looked up at his friend, "Wouldn't you be?"

Walking over to his friend, Race took a seat next to him, "I can't blame you, but Benton, I'm asking you to please take it easy and just…"

Quest nodded, "I know." Looking around the room, he couldn't help to stop the tears run down his eyes, "It's just that I miss him so much. He's all that I have left."

XXXXXXXXXX

As DR128 continued jogging down the streets he felt a bit more at ease watching people jogging as well. The sky had grown darker and raindrops began spattering around him. Not caring about the rain, he continued jogging.

A minute or two had passed by when he turned onto a side street containing some traffic. Looking around, he found it was a strip full of shops, restaurants and a black onyx building with no windows but a double door. Dark blue letters attached to the top portion of the building spelled out OASIS. Looking around one last time, he turned to see what the back of the building looked like.

XXXXXXXXXX

As Jessie headed down the exit ramp, rain began to pour, "I hope it doesn't rain tonight," she sighed.

"Maybe it's just temporary," Claire shrugged. "So, is this strip nice? From the pics I saw on the web, it looked pretty cool."

"Well, Oasis is on Altenor Lane, it has all kinds of restaurants and shops. It's like a little city…actually, pretty nice city. Jonny and I use to walk the strip a lot," Jessie smiled. "Sometimes we even rented scooters and headed down the strip to the causeway where the beaches were."

"Scooters?" Claire asked.

"We were fourteen you geek!" she laughed. "Jonny would have preferred a motorcycle, but even Doctor Quest had to draw the line somewhere with him." She turned left and soon, Claire watched with amazement the strip. It seemed like a happening place, full of entertainment and things to experience.

"The night time life must be fun around this place," she smiled.

"It's definitely the place for us," Jessie replied as she looked around and switched to the other lane. "Ok, you'll see the club to your left. It's a block or two down."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The club had two doors in the back. From afar DR128 watched some employees stand by one of the doors smoking cigarettes under an awning. By the other door another man walked out carrying two large black bags which he tossed into the garbage receptacle.

"Don't you all work?' the guy asked frustrated while the two that smoked laughed.

"Dude, you lost the bet," one of the guys responded. "Besides, it would have been worse. Can you imagine how much garbage we would have had if we had some live entertainment this week? You're lucky there's only a DJ.

"Well, it's no fun throwing out all this leftover food," the frustrated guy answered. "I never knew they used so much crap to prepare the menu."

_That has to be the kitchen door, _DR128 said to himself. Looking at the second door closely, he acknowledged, "That's the back stage door."

He would have to look for the door inside the club later tonight. But, at least he would know where he was walking out to when making his exit. Turning away, he decided to walk out to see the best area to park his car. By this time, the rain began pouring even more. He'd have to jog back in the rain, but that didn't bother him. During training he had to do that dozens of times. He began looking around while the traffic from the strip slowed down due to the rain. Among the cars that created the traffic, a red Jeep Liberty was forced to make a stop.

XXXXXXXXXX

Looking at the vast amount of rain that suddenly fell from the sky, Claire sighed in frustration, "I hope this rain stops before tonight. It would be horrible to be out with this weather."

"Chill out Claire, I don't think it will last too long," Jessie answered. "You should be more worried about getting Hadji out on the dance floor," she laughed.

"Please! That's a piece of cake," she replied.

"Damn it!" Jessie shook her head as traffic stopped suddenly, "Well looks like you'll get a pretty good view of the club. It's right to your left," she pointed to the black onyx building a few feet ahead of them.

Claire smiled, "It looks awesome!" she gloated and continued speaking as Jessie drove slowly ahead. Within a minute or two, traffic stopped again, right in front of OASIS. Claire continued speaking as Jessie began paying attention to the people by the sidewalk, who rushed to the closest awnings and areas where they sought shelter from the rain. With the sidewalks clear from people, Jessie couldn't help to notice a man wearing black pants and a gray sweatshirt walk out of the side alley of the club in the rain. He stood out and looked at the street as if trying to find something.

"We are going to have such a great time tonight Jess," Claire continued speaking unaware of her friend's lack of attention.

With the hoodie was over his head, Jessie couldn't clearly see him until he moved toward the side of her car and she suddenly caught a glimpse of his face. A bit of his wet blond hair popped out of the hoodie and she could see very familiar features in him. She froze.

"I'm not sure if I'm going to wear the red dress or the lavender tank that I bought…I wonder what's Hadji's favorite color is…"

Jessie's heart beat so rapidly, she felt it would pop out of her body and out of the car. The shock made her unable to control her moves. The man was about to get closer to her when she heard the honking of various cars. Surprised, she found herself turning as she felt a tap on her arm, "Jessie, what's wrong?"

"What?"

"Jessie, you're stopping traffic!" Claire told her as she signaled for her to move forward.

Looking back, to the area where the man previously stood, she found him gone or out of sight.

"Jessie! Do you want these people to kill us?" Claire told her as the honking increased, "Move!"

"Oh my God!" the red hair woman accelerated he car, but not before looking back at the rear view mirror hoping to catch a glimpse of the man that had made time stop still. _He's gone_, she whispered to herself.

"What was all that about?" Claire asked curiously.

"I thought I saw someone," Jessie replied trying to keep her cool, even though her mind was racing like wildfire.

"Must have been someone pretty interesting," Claire shook her head.

"Why…why do you say that?"

"Because you are paler that Casper the Friendly Ghost on Halloween night." The blond answered as she studied her friend.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jogging back to the hotel, he couldn't help to wonder if for some reason he had been recognized. Who was that in the red Jeep? No one knew he was there, only Master and the doctor. _Could someone actually be following me?_ He thought as he continued running back to the hotel.

Everything since Russia had been strange and now it grew stranger. He'd had to keep his eyes open; he didn't like what he was feeling.


	6. Chapter 6

I'm so sorry, I'm late posting. A very hectic week. I'm doing this from work, so I couldn't edit to the best of my abilities. Please forgive and notify me of any mistakes. Thank you. Have a great weekend!

**Tj12398:** I take this as an immense compliment. Thank you so much! I hope it continues to please people and you, of course.

**RRL24**: Yes, they almost did! Wait till Chapter 7. I think you will like that second encounter.

**Harry101:** Of course redheads! Couldn't be anyone else!

**Anatolie:** I really appreciate you reading this fic. Description has always been a challenge for me. It continues to challenge me with every fic I write.

**Playlist:**

Aqualung: Breaking My Heart

Jason Mraz: Lucky

Pitbull: Don't Stop the Party

Ryan Stewart: Autumn

Chapter 6

Jessie ran upstairs after she and Claire arrived home. Immediately, she entered Jonny's room and headed to the nightstand where she picked up the picture of the three of them at the Junior Prom.

"It can't be," she shook her head as she walked in the room. "It's impossible." She looked at the picture again and again. The man that she saw in front of the club couldn't have been Jonny, or could it have been? Jessie studied the picture even more, "He looked so much like him…I have to be seeing things, it's impossible." She walked over to Jonny's bed and sat down staring carefully at the picture frame she gripped with her hand.

Suddenly, she gasped when she heard a knock on the door, "Jessie?" Looking up, she watched Hadji walked in slowly, concern evident in his face, "Are you alright?"

Jessie nodded and smiled uneasily, "I'm fine Hadj,"

"Claire is a bit worried," he said as he walked closer to her. "She said something happened when you took her to see where we were going tonight?"

"I…." she sighed and rolled her eyes trying to poke fun at herself, "You know, I think coming back home permanently is a bit more stressful than I thought. I must be seeing things," she smiled as he took a seat next to her. "I could have sworn I saw him today."

Hadji looked at the picture frame she held and sighed. He rarely spoke about his brother, the pain was too great for him. He and Jonny were so close, "Would it make you feel better if I told you that this happens to me every once in a while when I'm home?"

"Really?" Jessie looked at him as tears threatened to run down her cheeks.

"Well, not to the point that I would make my best friend so worried that she called me immediately to talk to you, no, but…"

"Oh, stop it!" she punched him playfully. She paused and looked at the picture, "He looked so much like Jonny Hadji. This guy that I saw was much more built than I remember Jonny being, but his face…he could have been his twin."

"It is said that we all have one in the world," Hadji responded with a sigh. "Jessie, I know how much you want him back, but you can't go on thinking that you're going to find him just about everywhere you go to. You'll run yourself crazy."

"I know," she reasoned, "I guess, my imagination got the better of me." Kissing his cheek, Jessie smiled, "Don't worry, I won't go crazy on you." Turning, she put the picture back on the nightstand.

"I hope so," Hadji joked wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "I have enough with Claire."

This time Jessie laughed, "Oh, I'm so going to tell her that!"

"And here I thought I was your friend," he said laughing.

After they both shared a hug, she asked, "Where could he possibly be Hadj? Doesn't he know how much we miss him? How much he's making us suffer?"

"Maybe he cannot help it Jessie," Hadji responded gently. "He would not do this on purpose. At least, that's how I want to see it. You know Jonny…he would not do that to us if he could help it." They sat there silent for a moment just looking around the room. Finally, Hadji stood up, "I better get back to studying. If I break away from my schedule, I'll ruin the lead I have on that dissertation."

He began walking out when Jessie called out, "Thanks Hadji."

"No thank you needed, my sister," he answered. "Shall we go?"

Jessie stood up and began walking out of the room, but abruptly stopped herself, "Wait." She went back to the night stand and removed he picture from the frame. Then, put the frame inside the drawer. Holding the picture in her hand, she told Hadji, "I've always liked this picture."

"Good times," he said with a sad smile.

"Very good times," she responded as they both walked out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXX

The doctor sat in his office calmly looking at his computer screen. He was never a man to second guess himself and when he suspected something, like he did at the moment, he knew better than to let the suspicion go. "You're a loose cannon you little prick," he said referring to DR128, the thorn of his entire operation for the last five years. He knew that from the moment he laid eyes on the kid years ago. Unfortunately, the Master didn't think so and as long as he had an emotional attachment to DR128, he would be yet another person compromising the operation.

He continued staring at the computer screen. As expected, DR128 was working out of protocol. Somehow, he had hacked into the system and used a company credit card to rent a cabin thirty miles from his current operation. For whatever reason, the doctor didn't know. On top of that, he had hid his trace well. If the doctor hadn't suspected him and decided to track his moves on a deeper level, he would have missed his actions. "What are you doing, DR128?"

Something was going on. He could tell Master, but the doctor knew, he'd just find a way to correct the situation without hurting strand on his favorite assassin's blonde head. He would have to take action himself and if it meant going behind Master's back, then so be it. Opening another window on his computer, he typed in a code and within minutes a face appeared on the computer screen, "Hello KG765, I have an assignment for you."

"I'm listening."

"I need you on the next flight to Maine."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Dad, don't wait up for us," Jessie yelled out as she, Hadji and Claire walked to the entrance lobby of the mansion, "We might be back next week for all we know."

"Don't get cute with me, Bannon," Race walked out of the office. "Just because you're all college grads doesn't mean you can come back home from partying weeks from now."

"We would never do that Race," Hadji told him unable to stifle a short yawn. "Besides, I do not think I could." Working on that dissertation was killing him and more than anyone knew. What he longed for was sleep.

"Speak for yourself!" Claire laughed.

"Really Dad, we won't be in too late," Jessie reassured her father, "Just…don't wait up," she smiled as she walked to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Sighing and shaking his head, Race responded, "Fine. Just drive safely and don't get too cocky with the drinking, alright?"

"We won't Mr. Bannon," Claire replied. "We'll behave. Girl Scout's honor," she finished giving him a signature Girl Scout sign with her fingers.

After some last goodbyes the trio finally left and Race closed the door behind them. Moments later, Benton walked out the office, "Are the kids gone?"

Race nodded, "Yeah." Looking at his watched he added, "It shouldn't be long before Phil gets here." Benton sighed heavily before retreating back to the office. Race knew the waiting would kill him and even though an hour wasn't much, in a situation like this, it would feel like waiting for years. Walking back to the office, Race suggested, "Why don't we have dinner before Phil gets here? It might take our minds off the waiting."

The doctor immediately shook his head, "Race, I'm really not hungry." He sat down on a chair by his desk and started sorting out the mail. His attention made its way to a black envelope with a gold seal, "I had forgotten about this."

"What's that?" Race asked curiously.

"It's the invitation for United Nation's annual gala," he replied flatly. "Last year I was a keynote speaker.  
>This year I am a guest."<p>

"Rubbing elbows with the elite is hard work," Race joked.

"They always invite keynote speakers," Benton shrugged. "It's actually a pretty good opportunity to rub elbows with some pretty influential officials. If I need to do research in a specific country, having a good friend at the UN is a great incentive," he said. "Believe it or not, most countries do not like to be researched."

"When is it?" Race asked.

"On Saturday night. Maybe I should order a tux," he answered absentmindedly. It felt ridiculous to even talk about such a trivial thing, but somehow Benton felt more at ease to talk about the event while waiting for Phil and Zach. Anything was better than looking at the clock, "And a date for this thing."

Sensing his friend's stress, Race followed suit, "You could call Vanessa, I'm sure she'd like to attend."

Benton shrugged and looked at the clock, "Maybe."

Seeing that it wasn't helping much, Race walked over to the bar and poured two glasses of scotch. Taking one to Benton who read the invitation for the umpteenth time, he offered a glass, "You don't want dinner, but hopefully, this will calm us down."

Gratefully, Benton took the glass and drank, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Race nodded before taking a seat across from him. "Why don't we review all the latest research we gathered from the case, maybe we can connect some things to what Phil will tell us."

Liking the idea, the doctor stood up and walked over to the cabinet, retrieving a disc. He inserted the disc on the computer and the information popped on the small smart board that hung by one of the walls, "This is the last information that we retrieved from Peru…"

Listening to Benton, Race felt his friend calm down. He knew that reviewing the information wouldn't offer anything new, but at least it calmed Benton down and that's what was what was needed at that point to pass the time until Phil Corvin made a very eager appearance to the Quest household.

XXXXXXXXXX

After giving the instructions to KG765, the doctor sat silently, looking at the monitor and pondering the next part of his plan. Once KG765 finished off DR128 and properly disposed of the body, he'd tell Master that the assassin had gone rouge. Now, how could he explain that such a highly skilled assassin had gone rouge and killed his counterpart?

"This is going to require a bit of thought," he muttered. Standing up, he went over to the cabinet and pulled out a vial filled with a dark blue liquid inside, "Maybe it's time to put you to use…."

Going back to his computer, he began opening the files of different assassins under his care, adding in on their medical history, an extra entry under medicinal administration. Opening, KG765's file, he did the same. Feeling a bit better that he had covered his tracks for the moment; the doctor turned off his computer and gathered his things. Needing a small break from the very active week that he had had, the doctor decided to take a couple of hours off, "Time to go home," he said to himself as he walked out the door.

Taking a deep breath, he actually felt lighter. Soon DR128 would cease to exist and not only him, but Master himself could continue on with what truly mattered, the brave new world they were about to create.

XXXXXXXXXX

The large dining room at _Bresca_ provided and intimate setting where guests relaxed under the tunes of Jason Mraz's "Lucky". Jessie smiled to herself as she took in the atmosphere. This was definitely Hadji's element. She wondered how he would enjoy Oasis once they left this calm atmosphere.

Claire seemed to enjoy it as well. But to Jessie, it looked like she was enjoying Hadji a lot more. Jessie couldn't help noticing how the Texan blonde looked at her friend. Looking at Hadji, Jessie had seen how handsome he had grown. His olive skin contrasted beautifully with his dark wavy hair that he now wore medium length covering his ears a bit. Tonight his hair was parted on one side and brushed toward the other. His waves changed directions naturally giving him a wild look that noticeably impressed Claire. Funny, Jessie never thought of Hadji as wild. Wearing black trousers and a light green dress shirt, even Jessie had to admit her friend looked rather stunning.

"So, what do you two lovely ladies feel like having tonight?" he asked with a casual natural smile.

"Chicken," Claire sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm allergic to shellfish. Go figure, I now live in the one state where seafood is a staple and I can't have any."

"That's irony for you," Jessie laughed. "Fortunately, for me, I am not in such an unfortunate predicament. So, I will start off with a very nice helping of crab cakes as my appetizer."

"You're evil!" Claire shook her head.

"I'm lucky," the red head countered as she hummed the song that was playing around her.

"I see that this evening is going to be a lot of fun," Hadji replied mockingly rolling his eyes. Then, looking at the blonde, he offered her a gentle smile, "You know, chicken sounds delicious. How about you and I take a look at that section in the menu, perhaps we will find something that we can both enjoy."

Blushing a little, Claire smiled. "Thanks Hadji," she said before turning to Jessie and sticking out her tongue.

Laughing, Jessie looked back at her menu, "Yep, it is going to be a very fun night."

XXXXXXXXXX

As Zach drove his brand new dark grey Mercedes down the highway his eyes cautiously travelled to the man sitting on the passenger seat who sat looking straight ahead, lost in thought. "Going over the script for tonight?" he asked trying to lighten the mood.

"How do you tell someone that his son may be alive after five fruitless years of searching? And what the hell is Benton going to feel when his sees this particular video?"

"Phil, we don't have anything concrete. What we have is a forty second video that explains nothing," Zach continued. "We need to investigate this further."

Phil laughed, "The kid is shown groping some possible Russian hooker on the other side of the world while his father has used almost every possible resource to find him for the past five years! That's what Benton is going to see."

Quiet for a moment, Zach sighed, "What Benton is going to see is his son alive, if in fact it is Jonny. Whatever else…I'm sure there's a good explanation for it."

As soon as Zach finished his sentence, Corvin's cell phone rang. Taking out of his pocket, he pressed one of the buttons and answered, "This is Corvin," he listened to a moment before snapping up from his seat, "What?"

Zach turned to look at him.

"When did this happen?" Phil continued listening. "Who's leading the investigation?" He paused for a moment more, "Email me his contact details and I'll call him later tonight." He finished before pressing the disconnect button.

"What happened?" Zach asked as he took the next exit.

"We had another assassination of a UN Ambassador almost during same time range as Daud's assassination," Phil sighed in frustration, "In Moscow."

The realization hit Zach, "Shit."

XXXXXXXXXX

Wearing a dark midnight blue suit and a light grey dress shirt, DR128 gave himself on last look in the dresser mirror before putting on the Rolex watch Master had given him a year before. He had visited him an apartment in Austria where he had been stationed for a couple of months two years prior recovering from an assignment where he had been injured. During his stay, the Master gave him the watch for no apparent reason.

He never questioned the why. He thanked Master and wore it every chance he had. Spraying on a little Aramis, he then took a look at the drawer in the dresser. He thought about taking the gun, but he was sure that the bouncer at the club would find it. He left it behind. He would only take what he needed for the night.

Grabbing his keys, he walked out of his hotel room. Going to his car, he turned on the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot toward the street. He'd be walking in to Oasis an hour earlier and wait for his target.

XXXXXXXXXXX

They had finished dinner and had ordered one dessert to share since none of them had space for one of their own.

"That was one very good lobster dinner," Jessie gloated to her friends as they both looked at her with annoyance, "Come on, I was just kidding!"

"Well, my chicken was delicious," Claire responded with sarcasm. "Right Hadji?"

"Best chicken I've ever had," he smiled. "Besides, the important thing is that dessert can be shared by all of us. And that is more important than any other part of dinner."

"Hear hear!" Claire raised her glass. "Let's toast!" The other two raised their glasses as Claire said, "To tonight and having a lot of fun!"

"To tonight," Jessie smiled.

Dessert soon arrived. The fresh Key Lime cheesecake with a massive amount of whip cream was huge and Jessie was glad they would share. Otherwise, she would find herself pulling extra hours at the gym to burn it off.

"Wow," Claire shook her head as she stared at the round plate. "This is unreal!"

"Well, dig in," Hadji was already putting his spoon in. "If we do not start working on this monster, then it will take us longer to get to this club that Claire is crazy about going."

"I second that!" Claire answered immediately, putting her spoon in. "There's no way I'm going to lose time on the dance floor tonight."

As Jessie laughed, she looked at Hadji who was suddenly nervous. The prospect of dancing had been worrying him. Dancing was not his strong suit and Jessie couldn't wait to see him move later tonight.

XXXXXXXXXX

The doorbell rang and Benton immediately stood up to answer it, but Race stopped, him, "I'll get it. Have a seat. I'll bring them to the office."

The white haired man walked out of the office and to the front door. Checking in to see who it was first through the peep hole, he confirmed Phil and the other gentleman standing by the door as Zachary Scott. Opening it, he looked into the eyes of his old crew before answering, "This better be good Phil. I don't think Benton can stand another disappointment."

"I assure you Race," Zachary stepped in, "We wouldn't be here unless we had something good to show you."

"Hey Zach," Race nodded before he let the men walk in. Leading them toward the office, they found Benton by his desk. As soon as he saw them he stood up. Race could have sworn his friend had aged from the time he left him a few seconds back until now.

"Phil, Zach," he said, "Please, come in."

Both men walked in and took seats by the sofa close to the chimney. Phil was the first to speak, "Before we begin, I want you to know that Zach received this information late last night and we have been working diligently to find answers, but we don't know anything at this point."

"What is it that you want to show us?" Race asked already feeling the frustration.

Zach took out a CD from the side pocket and handed it to him, "This. Pop it in."

Race took the CD from Zach's hand and walked over to the computer where he put it in. Pressing play, the video appeared on the SMART screen. The men of them watched the video, seeing the young pair in a lover's embrace.

Watching the video, Benton's face grew pale.

XXXXXXXXXX

Walking into the club, he surveyed the inside of the circular structure. Two floors. The first had a massive dance floor already full of people swaying to the rhythm of the music being played. His surroundings were dark, except for the strobe lights flickering colors of dark blues, pinks and purples. A full bar filled with people stood by one side, four bartenders took care of their patrons.

Pitbull's "Don't Stop the Party" blasted through the speakers as he walked toward the stairs and up to the second floor of the club. On the second floor, tables and lounge sofas decorated the circular structure. There were smaller bars at four points, twelve, three, six and nine. He walked up to one of the bars and ordered a drink from the bartender, "Amaretto Sour," he said as he put down twenty dollar bill, "Keep the change." After getting his drink, he walked up to one of the empty stools by the balcony and began gazing down below, watching the people dance and unaware of his presence.

"Hi," he heard the female voice of a woman filter through his ears despite the loud music around him. Turning around, he watched as a Sandy blonde diva sat across from him at the table. He noticed her hazel eyes, her pleasant smile and the tight little black strapless dress she wore, "I'm Jamie."

Being rude or cold would leave her with a memory of him. He'd have to find a way to get rid of her without as much as having her think twice of him in the near future, "John," he answered. A common name always worked better. People more often than not confused common names.

"Well Tom," she hadn't heard him correctly with all the music. "Ever been here before?"

"Yes, on occasion," he smiled, happy that she had confused the name he had given her with another.

"See something you like?" Jamie was straight forward, no sense in painting a picture for him.

Smiling, through his baby blues, he answered looking at the bartender who had served him a few minutes earlier. He was a well-built man, mid to late twenties with light brown hair. At that moment, he was serving a couple a few tables away from them, "As a matter of fact, I do."

Turning, Jaime followed his gaze and rolled her eyes, "Oh."

Looking at her, he smiled back.

"I guess I'm wasting my time," she stood up and walked away without so much as a goodbye. He knew that after that rejection, it was less likely that women around him would not walk up to him for fear of the same thing. Picking up his drink, he began watching the entrance doors. That is when he watched his target walk in almost an hour early with his two body guards.

XXXXXXXXX

The doctor walked in to his apartment trying to stifle yet another yawn. He couldn't. It had been a short day, but despite it, he knew he would have a good night's sleep later that day. For the first time in years, he felt good about the project. Soon there would be no loopholes, no one to put things in jeopardy.

The phone in his study rang, He walked into the room and picked up the phone, "My day is over."

"No, it isn't," Master's voice replied with venom in his tone.

The good doctor froze. Had the Master found out what he was planning? How? He had carefully hidden his steps. Why was he angry? "Is there a problem?" he asked casually without giving away the fact that he felt his nerves go wild.

"The problem is that I just looked over my son's test results and I don't like what I'm seeing." Master responded with even more anger in his tone, "You gave him the serum didn't you?"

Sighing with relief, the doctor now felt a bit better. This, he could handle. "I only gave him the part of the full first dosage. It's not going to do him any harm. It will just temporary allow the brain to…dismiss anything that might cause a memory of the past. Besides, without the second dosage, the first one won't do a thing in the long run. I don't understand why you are so damn worried!"

"Because you told me that all you gave him were memory tests and a booster! And if nothing sparked out, then there was no reason to give him the damn dosage," Master's voice boomed.

"I was afraid that the booster would not work. Half a dosage worked better," he concluded. "He will be fine. It's not going to affect his behavior in any way. Besides, it would take both dosages for complete transformation."

"You are wearing me thin. I better not find any more tampering that concerns my son. I better not!" he continued, "You are dealing with the wrong man, remember that Oliver!" he said before he hung up.

Shuddering a bit, the doctor hung up the phone. Perhaps he had not analyzed his plan enough. He'd have to think of a contingency plan in case Master saw right through this one. He had all day to do it. So much for a good night's rest.

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is impossible," Benton whispered to himself, "Are you sure it is him?"

"Our computer recognition programs made positive identifications at nearly ninety-seven percent of the time," Zach answered, "So…all evidence points to this young man being Jonathan Benton Quest."

Doctor Quest played back the video one more time, "Where was this taken?"

"Moscow," Phil responded, "Roughly one week ago."

Race was beside himself looking at the image on the screen. The young man in the picture looked identical to Jonny. A little taller, much more built, but it was him. The behavior, however, was drastically different. If Jonny was alright, why hadn't he made contact with them in over five years? Why purposely disappear? Jonny would have never left his father, unless… "We need to go," he suddenly turned around and looked at his friend, "Something is wrong with him. Benton."

Immediately the doctor nodded, "I know Race. Jonny would never leave us on purpose. And yes, we are taking the first flight to Moscow."

"There's more," Phil cut in. Both men looked at the I-1 director with interest, "One week ago a UN Ambassador was killed while exiting the gate at the airport. I witnessed the entire event. The person of interest in this murder is a young man, mid-twenties. He was about five eight, with dark brown hair. Roughly one week ago another UN Ambassador was killed in Moscow, no suspects at this time."

"What are you saying?" Benton raised his voice, "That my son has something to do with—"

"I don't know Benton!" Phil voiced back. "All we have is coincidence and at most circumstantial evidence. I don't think….Jonny would never do anything purposely. And…maybe it is a coincidence, but…"

"He may be forced by someone to do this," Race chimed in. "We need to help him. If not, well, who is to say he's not in some danger as well."

"Gentlemen," Zach stood up to appease the situation. "This kid was taken from his family five years ago. We knew from the beginning it was a kidnapping of some sort. Whether or not he has anything to do with the UN murders is beside the point, we need to find him first."

Nodding in agreement, Race went to the computer, "I'll start booking flights."

"It will be for the three of you," Phil sighed. "I'm leading the investigation of the Maine assassination and I can't leave right now. The president is on my ass at the moment, but I can connect you to the I-1 director in Europe headquarters. I'm sure he'll be able to help."

"Fine," Benton replied. "Let's coordinate. I want to be out of here as soon as possible."


	7. Chapter 7

Good morning! Welcome to Chapter 7.

For some reason, the last chapter was not announced on the notices. I'm hoping I don't have a repeat with this chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

_**Jdcocoagirl:**_ I'm glad you picked up on that insight! Hope you are enjoying the story.

_**Tj2398:**_ Hee hee. I really do wish I could post faster. Here's a little more!

**Playlist:**

Jesse J's : Domino

David Getta's _Titanium_

Flo Rida _Wild One_

**Chapter 7**

His target was having an immense amount of fun at the club. Dancing like a wild man, oblivious that DR128 watched from above, Stephano Remini didn't know he'd had a short time to live. The two body guards who had walked in with him were close, but stayed a safe distance away from the young man. _The idiot told them to disappear from his sight while he makes a fool of himself_. Remini, a man in his mid-twenties with auburn hair and a sleek physique, turned women's heads from time to time. At the moment, he was gyrating his pelvis against a cute brunette's backside on the dance floor. It was a sad attempt at dancing, but Remini was enjoying every moment. He had met the floosy at one of the bars in the club while ordering his third drink for the night.

Jesse J's_ Domino_ rocked the dance floor as DR128 watched the pair on the dance floor. People jammed to the song while pink and blue lighting flew wildly around them. They turned, twisted and moved to the groove of the song. The assassin, on the other hand, watched his target with cold calculating eyes, preparing for his move.

"Another Amaretto Sour?" the waitress came up to him.

"Sure," he responded with a small smile as she turned to her.

"Anything else? We also have-"

"No," he answered flatly as he handed her another twenty dollar bill, "That's all. Thanks."

Seeing that the patron wasn't much of a conversationalist, the waitress gently took the money from his hand before walking away to place the order. Looking back down, DR128 decided that after the next drink, he would head to the first floor of the club. They had been there a while and Remini probably already felt comfortable with his surroundings. The body guards most likely felt the same way, but he'd have to take the opportunity when they were far away and distracted enough to hit. The dance floor had emptied out when the song ended and another, less popular, began. He would need the dance floor to be filled again if his plan was going to work. _Hopefully the DJ will play something to get the crowd up again._

His sight had never left his target. After leaving the dance floor, Remini sat down in a living area close to the entrance doors. One of the body guards had made a barstool by the closest bar to where Remini sat his permanent home. The other wasn't around, but DR128 had no doubt that the ogre was casually surveying the club. The brunette was with him and apparently now a blonde with short hair had joined the party. _Great_, he thought in somewhat annoyance, _he better not sit there all night._ DR128 was patient, but he would hate to have to come up with an alternate plan if the idiot decided to spend the entire night on the couch or worse leave the club with one or both women.

The waitress placed his drink on the table. "Thanks," he said without looking at her.

"Have a good evening," she replied before walking away.

He continued his surveillance just as David Getta's _Titanium_ began to play. Soon, people filled the dance floor. As the crowd started dancing, the blond who was sitting with Remini suddenly rose from her seat, grabbed the brunette by her hand and roughly guided her away just as the target began laughing hysterically. DR128 wondered what happened. The body guard by the bar stood up. Apparently asking Remini if he was alright, he was shushed and sent back to his post.

Watching from above, DR128 took the glass filled with the Amaretto Sour and drank. He'd have his chance soon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Stephano Remini was having a night that was anything but successful. The brunette and her friend wouldn't put out when told and he soon lost interest in them. I guess he shouldn't have said that he was interested in a three-some. The blonde woman, so offended by the conversation, stood up and took her friend with her. Stephano laughed. What the hell did they expect coming to a club? Some fairytale romance? Sighing, he scanned the area for anyone who interested him. Some women just smiled as they passed by, but they didn't stop to chat. He couldn't blame anyone for not getting close. With the two Hercules by his side who did nothing but cramp his style, who would? One of the bastards even had the audacity to walk up to him when he specifically said he didn't want them anywhere near him for the night. Remini cursed himself for what was beginning to be a crappy night. Annoyed, he continued surveying the area around him. Then, he suddenly sat up. Something peeked his interest as he looked at the entrance doors. A red haired woman walked in, behind her two others followed.

XXXXXXXXXX

DR128 followed his target's gaze. Forgetting Remini for a moment, his gaze fell on the woman walking in. He couldn't quite see her face, the opaque surroundings didn't help and the angle that he was at made it challenging, but he could have sworn she somehow looked… familiar.

Not understanding why, he suddenly felt the urge to leave his post. He rose from his chair leaving his drink behind and headed down the nearest stairs. He needed to know who the red head was for he never forgot a face.

XXXXXXXXXX

The second youngest of the four sons of Italian UN Ambassador Salvatore Remini, Stephano was a lamb who had willingly decided to separate from the herd. His oldest, Giovanny, was a doctor at one of the top hospitals in Chicago. Gio's twin, Marco, was an archeology professor in Sweden. their younger brother, Paolo, was currently studying journalism at New York University and their sister, Gianna, was completing her secondary studies in Sweden. Stephano, on the other hand, was still trying to grow up and had yet succeeded. He had majored in everything possible, only to end up leaving the field of study before the year completed.

About a year prior, Stephano's latest passion, Advertising, had sizzled. His father had enough of his playing around and decided his career for him. Politics had played a major role in his family and having Stephano hopefully fill his father's shoes was the last resort. For the past six months, Stephano had been assisting his father with work assignments and events. Hoping the political world would peak his son's interest, he sent him to attend the United Nation's Annual ball on his behalf. It would probably help him meet and network with possible connections. But his father's main reason for sending him off was that Stephano would feel obliged to take responsibility, since it was representing his father.

Stephano knew he'd have to behave at the ball, so in order to let out some steam, he decided to have some fun at Oasis. But, the night had gone so bad for the ambassador's son that he was about to leave and call it a night. That is until he saw the red head come in.

She was gorgeous. Thin, but athletic and with curves; just the way he liked them. The other woman was quite striking herself. She was about the same height as her friend with long blond hair, very American, but she kept close to the Indian man they had walked in with. She was definitely off limits.

Stephano looked at Twiddle-dee who was still sitting by the bar watching him and Twiddle-dumb who walked to his partner with an air of superiority that sickened him. They began talking to each other. They too had relaxed, maybe they would keep their distance for a while. Stephano turned and noticed as the threesome took seats at one of the nearby tables.

Perhaps the night wouldn't be a dud after all.

XXXXXXXXXX

Standing by one of the stairwells, DR128 noticed the events taking place in front of him. The two guards were close, but far enough that they wouldn't cause an obstacle. Remini stared at the red head with salaciousness, ravishing her with his eyes. A few minutes later, he walked up to the group and began a conversation. Soon, he began touching her shoulder gently trying to engage her into conversation. The red head, however, seemed to be playing polite. She smiled, and looked to be playing his game cautiously. The Indian man watched Remini carefully, making sure he kept his distance from the red head and the blond woman next to him.

DR128 noticed that the red head was more visible now from where he stood. She was beautiful but for the life of him, he could not remember where he had seen her. He had never been assigned to the states, could she have visited an assigned country in Europe? Was she even an agent? _Why would I think she was an agent?_ He didn't know and just thinking about her was causing him a headache. He suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around quick enough to notice a short haired brunette who was about to speak when he stopped her, "Get lost." He quickly turned around so she wouldn't catch any of his features.

"You jerk!" she responded before walking away from him.

Looking back at the group, DR128 noticed that Remini was now very comfortable with the group. He was talking and laughing like he had known them forever. Inwardly, DR128 sighed hoping he wouldn't have to wait too long before making his move. For the moment, he took the time to study the redhead.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Tell me more about yourself," Stephano asked Jessie after he introduced himself to her and her friends.

"Yes Jessie, tell Stephano about yourself," Claire smiled as she saw her friend look at her with utter annoyance hidden behind her fake smile.

"Jessie?" he asked with his deep accent, "that is your name?"

"Jessica," she corrected him. "My name is Jessica."

"Jessica!" he smiled, "Bellisimo nome."

"Thanks!" she responded. Looking at Hadji, he shrugged as if telling her _Say the word and we'll leave. _Claire, on the other hand, looked at Jessie as if telling her to give the guy a chance. Looking back at the man in front of her, she asked, "Where are you from?"

"Milano," he nodded, "I'm here on….official business. My father and I are representing our country in the United Nations ball this Saturday." _There, that should impress her_, he thought. But, Jessie nodded without a hint of surprise or wonder. He almost showed his anger.

"You're Salvatore Remini's son? Hadji asked.

"You know my father?"

"As a matter of fact, I met him last year," Hadji responded, "My father and I were in Rome gathering research on a project we were working on."

"You're a scientist?" Stephano asked curiously, "Who is your father?"

"Benton Quest," Hadji responded casually, but was surprised when the Italian laughed.

"Benton Quest? The world famous scientist? You're his son?" he mocked. The three didn't withhold their surprised gazes.

"Actually, Hadji is his adopted son," Claire responded defensively. "Hadji is also the second in command at Quest Industries."

_So much for tact,_ he thought. By the tone the blond had offered, he may have royally messed up any chances with Jessie. Immediately, he gave them a regrettable look, "I apologize Hadji. I should have been….so….not very political?"

At this Hadji laughed uneasily, "That is quite alright. Apology accepted."

As the atmosphere around them cooled down, Stephano asked, "How do you all know each other?"

"Claire and I work for Quest Industries as well," Jessie replied a bit more seriously, "Claire's in research and I'm an analyst," she said, "I'm in charge of the QuestWorld program."

It was him who was now impressed and he showed it. This was no ordinary woman. He knew she wouldn't be easy to…entice, but maybe with a little work he could get her to be his date at the ball. Maybe then she'd put out. As he thought those words, the floor began to massively fill with people as they heard Flo Rida's 'Wild One'.

"Oh! I love this song!" Claire suddenly jumped. "Come on Hadj, let's go."

Looking rather nervous, Hadji turned to Claire, "I am not a very good dancer."

"Don't worry, we can all go!" Stephano stood up, hoping to play it cool so that Jessie might relax around him, "No one ever pays attention to anyone else on the dance floor. Do not worry, it will be fun." Turning to Jessie, he offered his hand, "Dance with me Jessica."

Smiling uneasily, Jessie took his hand as Hadji and Claire stood up. Then they joined the rest of the mass of people on the dance floor.

XXXXXXXXXX

The dance floor went crazy when the song began blasting. DR128 watched as his target took the red head by the hand leading her to the middle of the floor. The Indian man and the blond woman kept close as well. _No doubt protecting her_, he thought.

He couldn't control himself, his eyes kept wondering to the red head. She was a sight to see. Some jobs required him to take extra steps to complete the mission, like when it came to Kristen. It's not like he didn't enjoy those types of assignments, but he never really wanted those women. There was never a connection; it was just a cold emotionless act or just lust. But, looking at the red head he felt something he had never felt before. He wouldn't call it lust or anything of that sort, it was just a strange feeling so foreign he couldn't even name it.

She moved to the music beautifully. Her curves flowed smoothly to the rhythm of the music. Her red hair bounced around her. Wearing an open back champagne blouse, he could see her flawless porcelain skin. Her black tight pants showed her perfectly round derrière. She was literally a beautiful sight.

Remini grew closer to her. The mere gesture brought him back to the present and cursing himself for allowing the woman to distract him. He looked around the room and seconds later, they were out of sight, covered by the amount of people dancing around them. He looked for the bodyguards; still close, but far enough so that they wouldn't have time to get to him. It was the perfect time to act.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Jessie was beginning to enjoy herself. At first, she was weary of the young Italian man, but in the end, he was just a club player and other than a few dances, she wouldn't give in to what he would eventually want. Her friends were having equal fun. Claire was all over Hadji, and even though she thought he was counting his steps, he didn't mind Claire on him at all. . Stephano wasn't a bad dancer; he seemed to himself too much. Jessie looked around. Everyone was having a lot of fun. Why shouldn't she? Even if it was for a little while. For once, Jessie allowed herself the luxury of loosening up. The floor was packed, but she was thankful there was still space enough to feel comfortable.

Swaying to the music as she continued looking at the crowd around her, her eyes suddenly fell on a man with blond hair. He walked toward her. His eyes coldly stared ahead as if not seeing her, but somehow she knew he was. The world around Jessie slowed down. They stared at each other and she couldn't believe who she saw. It was him. She had no doubt about it. Her green eyes widened at the acknowledgement. But just as he appeared, he disappeared within the crowd and the world began to move again. _What the hell is happening to me? Am I seeing things?_ Desperately she looked for him; her eyes scanned wildly the surroundings.

"Jessica, dance with me," Stephano called out, unaware of what she had just experienced. He put both hands on the sides of her waist and drew her closer, "Come on, have fun with me."

"I'm…sorry," she answered still looking around, no longer dancing, but moving in a slow left to right motion.

People were getting crazier with the song and Jessie was getting frustrated when she could no longer see him, _Where are you Jonny?_ She thought desperately searching. Then, he appeared again, getting closer to her, Jessie couldn't help it any more, she froze. _It can't be him_, she thought, _I have to be seeing things!_

Closer he moved toward her and Stephano. He was so close that she could touch him, but her body would not cooperate. Her mind was telling her one thing, but her body just didn't want to listen. He lifted his hand to his ear as he past her and Stephano without so much as a glance to her. Then, just as he appeared without warning, he disappeared again into the mass crowd. When she couldn't see him, Jessie came to. It was as if she had woken up from a catatonic state. Breathing deeply, she suddenly stated, "Jonny!" About to move, she stopped when she heard screams.

Turning she noticed Stephano on the floor, foam coming out of his mouth. He was convulsing. Hadji was already down trying to help, "Someone, call 911!"

Shocked, Jessie looked at Stephano. _Stephano…Jonny! What did you do? _She thought.

"Jessie!" Claire moved her out of the way as the guards ran to them and dropped to the floor trying to look over the man they were supposed to protect, "What the hell is going on here?"

Jessie didn't know, she honestly, didn't know.

XXXXXXXXXX

As planned, he walked out of one of the exit doors that led to the side alley. The hit went so fast that outside everything seemed normal; everyone around him oblivious to what was occurring inside. He had checked earlier to see if the side alley had any cameras, they did. But, the scrambler would make sure to destroy any recording of him exiting the area. He was safe.

He walked to his car casually and got inside just as he heard the faint sirens of probably an ambulance heading to the club. Not that it mattered, but he knew they were too late. By now, Remini was dead. Retrieving his real phone from the glove compartment, he dialed to report. He heard the line pick up just before he said, "Mission complete. Successful elimination of target."

"Good," Master replied, "Next hit, forty-eight hours from now. Stand by for further instructions."

He hung up, turned on the ignition and drove back to the hotel.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After almost two hours of interrogation at the club, Phil Corvin followed Jessie, Hadji and Claire back to the compound. After his meeting with Dr. Quest and Race, he and Zach were driving back to headquarters when the call came in. Both rushed to the club. Zach stayed behind with the CSI team and would report his findings to Phil later in the morning, but the I-1 agent pretty much knew what they would find. Borrowing a car from another agent who had appeared to provide help, he followed the kids home. Perhaps, in their safe haven, they would provide a better perspective of what had occurred earlier that evening. Their home offered a more comfortable setting.

Once back at the estate, he explained to Benton and Race what occurred. They couldn't believe it. Phil was not surprised, he was pissed. Two people related to the UN were dead in a span of almost a week, three if you counted the Russian ambassador. Apparently, whoever was doing this wasn't just going for ambassadors, but also their family members. Worse, the hit happened in front of three hundred witnesses, many standing inches away from the victim when the assassination happened. No one could tell him what had occurred. Even Jessie, who was dancing with the victim had no clue. She had stated that one minute she was dancing with him and the next, he was on the floor foaming through his mouth.

Corvin had given them a description of the young suspect at the airport, but no one at the club had seen anyone who matched that description. Well, those that were at least sober. At least, Hadji, Claire and Jessie had stated the same and they hadn't been drinking. But in a club where most individuals were under the age of twenty-eight, who would really be able to tell if in fact the kid was there? They all looked the same.

The group all sat in the living room at almost three o'clock in the morning going over what had occurred one last time, "So is this going to be your final statement?" Phil asked the group of three in front of Benton and Race.

"God, I hope so," Claire sighed, "We've gone over this story about a thousand times. It hasn't changed Mr. Corvin."

"I know Claire, but we need to be sure," he answered with the equal annoyance that Claire felt. Turning to Jessie who only spoke when asked a question, Corvin questioned, "Jess, are you sure that there isn't anything else you want to add?" He had noticed the girl's pale face and quiet demeanor. Very unusual for her. He was confident that she was hiding something. It had been a while since Jessie, or the rest of them for that matter, had been exposed to death or violence, but Jessie was strong. This wouldn't have fazed her.

"No," she shook her head. How was she supposed to tell them, all of them, that she thought she had seen Jonny Quest as clear as she saw all of them in the room? And, how was she supposed to tell them that she thought he was the one who killed Remini right in front of her eyes?

_There has to be an explanation_, she thought. She just needed time to figure it out. God, how long was it going to take for everyone to leave her alone?

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure Mr. Corvin," she nodded with a sigh. "I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I mean, I was dancing, having a good time and then he just…" she didn't finish.

Unsatisfied with the interrogation, Phil knew he wouldn't be able to find anything else for the night. He stood up, making everyone aware that the questioning was over, "Alright, enough for this evening, get some rest. I'm sorry we inconvenienced you."

"That's alright Phil," Race answered, "I'll walk you out."

Before turning, the I1 agent looked once again at the kids, "If you remember anything else, please let me know."

"We will Mr. Corvin," Hadji answered as his father walked over to him and touched his shoulder, Benton's signal of support that put Hadji at ease.

Phil looked at Jessie. The girl didn't look at anyone, she seemed lost in thought, "Well goodnight. Jessie."

She looked up.

"Let me know if you remember anything else, even the smallest detail." She nodded without saying a word. _What the hell is she keeping?_

Race and Phil left the room. As Race bid Phil goodbye at the door, Benton looked at the kids who still looked shaky, "Why don't you kids go to bed, you all need to get some rest."

"I agree." Hadji replied as he walked over to Claire, "Come on, I will walk you both to your rooms."

"Thanks Hadji," Jessie smiled uneasily. "I'm actually going to go to the kitchen to make myself a tea. You guys go on."

Nodding, Hadji took Claire's hand, "I will see you tomorrow then."

"Try to get some rest Jessie," Claire told her softly.

"I will, good night," Jessie told them before turning to Dr. Quest, "You should get some rest too."

Looking at her curiously, Dr. Quest gave her a soft smile, "How about I make you that cup of tea?"

The two walked over to the kitchen, "Have a seat Jessie." Benton told her as he opened up the cupboards and retrieved two mugs, "What a night, huh?"

"You have no idea," she shook her head remembering who she had seen.

"You don't mind if we microwave tonight?"

"No, not at all," she said, "It's late, I was thinking the same thing."

He filled the mugs with water and took two tea bags from a canister in one of the cabinets before putting each bag in a mug. He then put the two mugs in the microwave and pressed the buttons to heat, "I'm sorry that you saw your date…"

"He wasn't my date," she quickly answered. "We had just met him and he had asked me to dance," Jessie watched as Doctor Quest walked over with sugar and milk, putting it on the table, "Why are you asking me again, I thought I had—"

"You're hiding something," Benton told her as the microwave beeped and he went over to retrieve the mugs, "And I need to know what's really going on."

How could she tell him the truth when she didn't even know what the truth was? "Doctor Quest, what would give you that idea?"

He smiled warmly at her as he sat down and passed a mug to her, "Jessica, I've known you since you were six years old. You are like a daughter to me and I know more about you than you give me credit for."

She laughed lightly, "I'm that transparent?"

He didn't answer her. Instead, he began preparing his own tea, "What's going on?"

"It's nothing really," Jessie replied with a shrug as they began preparing her tea, "I'm just…I'm just...not sure of what I saw. And, I'm feeling a little guilty that I let it happen."

"This was not your fault!" he immediately told her. "Jessie, don't blame yourself for something you had no control or had anything to do with."

She smiled uneasily, "Duly noted."

After some silence, he asked, "Did you see something?"

_Someone_, she wanted to answer, but she just couldn't tell him yet. "Doctor Quest, I'm still trying to understand tonight's events and well…I'll be honest, I was an awful witness."

"I'm sure that Phil can help you…"

"No," she shook her head and sipped her tea. "Listen, I told Mr. Corvin everything I saw tonight. I promise. I guess I just need a good night's rest to think things through. If I remember something else, I'll call Mr. Corvin tomorrow."

The two were quiet for a while drinking their tea in comfortable silence. "What do you think Jonny would have done if he'd seen what happened?"

Sighing deeply, Benton nodded curtly. It was hard for him to talk about his son at times without getting too emotional or angry at himself for being unable to find him after so many years, "He probably would have run after the killer."

At this Jessie laughed, "Or he would have asked Mr. Corvin to assist in the investigation." She took a sip of her tea looking at the sadness, yet delight in Benton's eyes as they spoke of his son.

"Or he would have been at the lighthouse searching for clues," he responded with another light laugh.

"One thing is for sure," Jessie told him, "He wouldn't have just sat here talking about it. Jonny could never just sit around, could he?"

"No," Benton shook his head, "He couldn't." He drank his tea in silence after that.

Jessie sighed, there is no way Jonny would have killed Remini, at least not willingly. Yet she wondered, why was he at the club in the first place? And, had he really been there? After silence became prevalent in the room, Jessie finally said what they both were thinking, "I miss him."

"Me too," he let out a breath. "Well young lady, you should get to bed. I'd like to speak to the three of you tomorrow about some event I need you to attend."

Looking at him curiously, Jessie asked, "What event?"

"All in due time Jessie," Benton responded. "Don't worry; I'll give you all the details tomorrow. Well, in a few hours. Just get some rest."

Standing up, she extended her hand toward his cup, "I can clean up."

"Don't worry," he said. "I'll do it. You've had enough excitement for one night."

She smiled and hugged him, "Thanks for the tea. Good night Doctor Quest."

"Good night Jessie," he responded taking her cup.

"Is Dad still out there with Mr. Corvin?" she asked noticing that her father had not come in.

"Probably," he responded, "Don't worry. Race and Phil are most likely swapping theories. Go to bed."

"Alright," she nodded. "See you in a few." Jessie finished as she walked out of the room without looking back. After Benton made sure she had gone up the stairs, he turned to the front door. Somehow, the last thing he thought Race and Phil were talking about was the Remini murder.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Is there anything else we need to know before we leave for Russia Phil?' Race asked the I-1 agent as they stood by the entrance door of the mansion. The two briefly spoke of the Remini incident before the conversation was redirected to what Phil had originally visited the Quest mansion for. "I don't want to walk in unprepared."

"For the last time Race," Phil sighed in frustration, "What you know is everything that Zack and I know. If something new comes up, I'll be the first one to call either Zach or you."

Silent for a moment, Race finally told him, "He's lost his wife. He can't lose any little hope he has left…I don't think Benton can take much more disappointment."

"Then maybe he shouldn't go," Phil responded with firmness. "Race, we don't know if that's even Jonny. For all we know it is someone who just matches the description."

"It's the first lead we've had in years, no way he's going to stay." Race put his hands in his pocket, "God, Phil what about if it is him? What the hell kind of a mess is this kid in and why would he do this to his father?"

"Let's just take it one day at a time," Phil suggested just as Benton stepped out.

"What's going on?" the doctor asked as he took a look at the two men in front of him.

"We were just discussing your trip," Phil answered. "The three of you leave tomorrow afternoon, I suggest you start packing."

"How long do you think we'll be there for?"

"It will take you at least a week to come up with any tangible leads," Phil answered. "Unless you get lucky, but don't get your hopes up." He warned in more ways than one. Benton understood and nodded curtly. "I must also tell you that you shouldn't really advertise the reason you're going. If indeed it is Jonny, I don't think it would be a wise for those holding him to learn you just found him."

"Understood," Race replied. "Don't worry, not even the kids know the real reason why we are going either."

"Good," Phil acknowledged, "I'll keep an eye out on them here as well. I'm not sure what's going on with this UN bull, but I don't like that your kids are somewhat involved in this."

"Me either," Benton answered.

"Well, I better be going, I want to speak to Zach to see if they've found anything else," he sighed. "This has been on nasty day for me. Get some rest gentlemen, I have a feeling things are going to get worse." Phil turned and began walking to his car.

Once Race and Benton watched as the car disappeared down the road, Race turned to Benton, "Did Jessie tell you anything?"

"You noticed it too?"

"The minute she said she didn't know anything else," Race answered. "What did she not want to say?"

Benton shrugged, "She says she doesn't know what she saw. I guess she wants to be clear before she says something that might cause her more than one sit down with Phil."

"Damn it," Race shook his head, "She's only been back one week and she's already involved in this crazy mess."

"It's strange," the doctor replied, "All this happening at the same time…Listen, I can go on my own to Russia…"

"Absolutely not!" Race was adamant. "Jessie can handle this for the time being. If things get worse while we are there, I'll revisit the option to comeback. Are you sure _you_ want to go? I mean…"

"No," the doctor replied firmly. "Race, I need to see this through. I need to find my son. I owe it to him and to Rachel. He needs me."

Race thought for a moment how he wanted to state the following words without being too rash toward his good friend, "Benton, what if Jonny doesn't want to be found?"

The doctor smiled sadly, "Then you don't know my son as much as I thought you did Race. Jonny is in trouble. I believe with all my heart that he'd never do anything to hurt us intentionally."

Nodding, Race replied, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Jonny needs our help and we are going to do everything possible to bring him home."

With a smile and a boost, Benton walked back in to the house as Race followed behind. Both headed to the study to discuss last details before heading to their rooms for some needed rest.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Jessie got to her room, the last thing she thought of doing was to go to sleep; at least not until she turned on her laptop and pulled up her program. She wanted nothing more than to get to the lighthouse, pull up QuestWorld and insert her program in order to locate Jonny.

She knew it was him the moment she lay her eyes on him, there was no doubt in her mind. It took every ounce of effort not to go into the lighthouse. Her father and Doctor Quest were probably still downstairs discussing what had occurred at the club. No way, she'd be able to disable Iris in order to get to the lighthouse. There had been too much commotion in the evening and it just wasn't a good idea to test the waters.

But she could get a head start. She began inputting the details she needed to get the program started once she inserted it to Quest World. That way, she'd save some time once the opportunity arose and she'd find a way to the lighthouse.

A new purpose filled her heart. It was only briefly that she had seen Jonny, but to her, it was the loveliest thing she had ever experienced in the many years he had been missing.


	8. Chapter 8

Afternoon everyone!

Hope all is well and a Happy Friday to you all. To all my reviewers and followers…Thank you for reading.

**Jdcocoagirl:** It happened! And wait till they meet in person. I think you will like it.

**Guest:** Thank you for reading. I hope you like this chapter.

_Playlist_

_Vance Joy-Georgia_

_Gregory Alan Isakov-The Stable Song_

Chapter 8

DR128 tried to get some sleep, but for the life of him every time he closed his eyes he saw her. Fiery red hair, bold green eyes, and a perfect silhouette of a body. He had tried desperately to ignore her, to put the woman in the back of his mind, but it was impossible. He thought he knew her, but he couldn't remember from where.

_Could it have been from a past job? Is she one of us?_ Master had never mentioned there would be another operative working the same assignment. _But the way she looked at me_, he thought. _It was like she knew me_. Sighing, he rose from bed and looked outside the large window of his ice cold room. He liked the cold; preferred it over warm weather. And, despite only wearing black drawstring silk pants, the cool air around him didn't bother him.

Outside, the city looked peaceful and enchanting. The rain had cleared earlier and the night was desolate of clouds and even stars. A full moon brightened the coal colored sky. From his window, he could also see part of the rugged coastline. DR128 had never been to the states before. It felt so different from Europe or Asia for that matter. But, there were some similarities. For example the vast old buildings, the beautiful cobblestone streets and sidewalks. Maine also felt familiar to him, as well. Maybe because a little of it reminded him of England. He thought about the woman from the club again. What was it about her that made his thoughts go array?

Unconsciously, he rubbed his forehead with his hand realizing that he had a headache. He didn't understand why. He had had one earlier when his thoughts fell on her, "What the hell is going on with me?"

XXXXXXXXXX

The airport buzzed with people. The plane had landed as scheduled, six forty-five in the morning. As instructed by the doctor, he was to check at the same hotel the gala would take place in Saturday. The reservation was already in place, but before checking in later on that day, he was to visit his contact for the necessary tools to perform his assignment.

Walking out of the airport, KG765 hailed a cab, "543 Kensington," he told the driver as he got in.

Seeing the serious young man with the short cropped black hair sitting in the back, the cab driver knew that small talk with this particular customer was not in the cards. Pulling out of the airport, he drove silently, wondering what was in the mind of that particular passenger.

XXXXXXXXX

Friday morning rolled around, but there wasn't much activity in the Quest mansion until almost ten in the morning when the group slowly congregated in the kitchen. Race was already making breakfast since Mrs. Evans had a doctor's appointment and wouldn't be in until later that day.

"Hey Dad," Jessie said as she walked in still wearing her robe, "Please tell me the coffee is ready."

"Yep," he answered as he pointed at the coffee maker by the counter, "Hot and ready."

Without a second thought, Jessie walked over and poured herself a mug. Race looked at his daughter with concern when he noticed the bags under her eyes and her slightly pale complexion, "I take it you didn't sleep at all last night. I'm sorry that you experience."

She shrugged as she prepared her coffee. The murder had been shocking. But, she had seen worse from the many trips and adventures she participated in with father and the rest of the group. Truthfully, Jessie wouldn't dare tell him that the main reason for her unattended sleep was finalizing the Phoenix program which she hoped to use later that evening. "I guess I'm a little out of practice," Jessie halfway joked. "What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"I'm making omelets," Race answered. "What do you want on them?"

"Can I have an egg white omelet?" she asked. "Kind of watching what I eat."

"Since when?" Race looked at her curiously with half a laugh.

"I haven't really exercised since I got home," Jessie laughed. "You know, maybe I should do that today. A good run at the beach should help clear my mind a bit."

"That bad?" Race asked already preparing her omelet. "Jess, you must be losing your edge," he joked, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Hardly," she answered, "I was used to working out practically every day and I haven't done it consistently for a couple of days."

"Tomatoes?"

"And mushrooms, onions and green peppers," she answered as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Can you make that two, Mr. Bannon?" Claire was the next one to walk in. "With everything that happened last night, I'm surprised I worked up a good appetite. Good morning all!"

"Is she always so cheery in the morning?" Race joked.

"You have no idea," Jessie shook her head.

"Two omelets on the way," he said as Claire walked over to the coffeemaker. "How are you holding up, Claire?"

"In reality, I try not to think about it too much. To think that a killer was that close to us," she replied growing a serious. As Claire prepared her coffee, she too noticed the sickly look on Jessie's face, "Are you feeling alright?"

Nodding, Jessie answered, "Yes, just a bit tired from last night."

Claire looked at her and with her eyes told her that she knew there was more than she was letting on. Jessie herself stared back as if to tell her to shut up, "I'm going running later, want to come?"

"Definitely," Claire answered taking a seat next to her friend, "I so much enjoy running."

Rolling her eyes, Jessie continued to drink her coffee. Soon the rest of the crew began filling the room. A few minutes later, the dining table in the kitchen feasting on Race's very big breakfast. Conversation was light, despite talking about the events from the previous evening. As everyone continued eating, Doctor Quest spoke up, "I'm glad all of us are here this morning, I'd like to call an impromptu staff meeting, if that's all right with all of you."

"Sure," Hadji answered with a nod.

"On Saturday, I've been invited to the UN Gala," Benton began, "Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend. Race and I have to travel to Russia later this afternoon on a project I-1 assigned us."

"What kind of project?" Jessie's eyes suddenly lit with interest. Neither men had worked with I-1 for years, not since Jonny's disappearance. Why now all of a sudden?

"Nothing out of the unusual," Race interjected acting a casual as he could. "Phil was actually here last night before all this happened to ask Benton to create some video devices that will help some of the I-1 agents overseas. There's a big case happening there and they need the doc's assistance, so he said yes and we leave later today."

She nodded, not fully understanding why such project demanded last minute travels, "Oh…alright. What type of case?"

"It's classified, honey," Race answered, "We won't even know until we get there."

"Anyways," Benton continued, "Since we'll be in Moscow for at least a week, I'm hoping that the three of you can attend the gala on my behalf."

"Really!" Claire's eyes lit up suddenly.

"Yes," Benton nodded, "Hadji, I would like you to take my place son. Ladies, I called my assistant Veronica last night to see if she could get us an extra ticket. I'm sure it will arrive later today."

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Claire answered excitedly, "I have just the perfect evening dress for this."

"Hadji, I'll also need you to take over the office for me while I'm away as well. Veronica will keep you informed of any duties you'll need to fill on my behalf." Dr. Quest continued, referring to his administrative secretary who was his right hand at the office.

"No problem, father," the young man answered as the doctor nodded and smiled. Despite the torment going on with Jonny's disappearance, Benton couldn't have been happier to have a son like Hadji. It was a reminder that he was still a father to his other son and that he needed to give him just as much attention as Jonny.

"Jessie, Claire, you'll need to start a bit early," he continued, "There are some projects I'd like you to read over and work on while we are away."

"Sure," Jessie answered with a soft smile. She couldn't help to think something was going on. But for now, she'd let it slide. There was much more important work to do and she realized that both her father and Doctor Quest had given her a window of opportunity for the real project she wanted to sink her teeth into.

XXXXXXXXXX

The phone rang just once before DR128 was up. He quickly reached over the night stand and picked it up, "I'm listening."

"I've sent all the information you need for tomorrow night's assignment by email," a voice alerted him. It was Master's voice. Again, DR128 wondered, why was Master all of the sudden speaking to him when he rarely did for such assignments. "The message will automatically be erased from your account within the hour, I need you to look at it now and memorize the blue prints as well. Plan your escape strategy today."

"I will," he answered without raising any of the questions he thought about.

"As soon as the assignment is complete, you are to take the first flight out to Amsterdam. A ticket has been issued under the name of Aiden Summers. The front desk downstairs has a package containing your passport and currency." Master continued without stopping, "I will meet you there on Monday morning."

For the first time, he was shocked, but didn't say a thing. Instead, he sat up and listened more intently, "I understand."

"Don't you want to know why, DR128?" Master suddenly asked.

He remained quiet on the line, not knowing what to answer, "I don't need to know. I only follow orders Master."

Sighing audibly, Master replied, "I know you do DR128, I know. Make me proud tomorrow night."

"I will Master," he nodded.

"I know you will… son," he answered before he hung up the phone.

XXXXXXXXXX

It wasn't until late morning that Jessie and Claire were able to take their jog at the beach. At first, Claire noticed how Jessie concentrated on her running, but then, upon closer view, she knew Jessie's mind was far from jog.

"Where are you Red?" Claire asked as the two continued running.

"I'm here," Jessie replied, "More than you'll ever believe." They continued jogging until they reached a rocky edge hill, "Come on, let's take a rest." The two women climb the hill carefully. As they sat down, neither spoke for a while. They just listened to the sounds of the waves crashing by the edge.

"What's going on Jessie?" Claire asked looking at her friend who kept staring distantly at the horizon.

Jessie took a deep breath before turning and looking back at her friend, "Before I begin, you have to promise me that you'll not interrupt, you'll not tell anyone about this, not even Hadji. And, you'll not stop me from my plans. Can I trust you Claire?"

Claire had never seen Jessie look more serious in any of the years she had known her. She felt a shiver crawl through her back when she heard the tone of Jessie's voice, "Alright," she nodded curtly.

"I saw Jonny last night."

Claire felt the impulse to speak, but she controlled herself even though Jessie registered the shock in her eyes. Never the less, the blonde kept her promise and allowed her friend to continue.

"It was at the club," Jessie looked back at the ocean. "Claire, there is no doubt in my mind that it was him. We stared at each other and I swear to you it was him. I should have gone to him, but I was so shocked…so surprised to see him merely a few inches from me that….I don't know, I couldn't move. He was there and I…" she sighed, "Then just like that he disappeared." She then turned to her friend and asked, "Are you going to say anything?"

"I was waiting for you to finish," Claire replied as calmly as she could, "What are you planning on doing now?"

"I'm not crazy Claire. I'm going to obviously confirm it by using Phoenix tonight," Jessie responded. "And, I'm going to start the investigation….I have no doubt in my mind that it was Jonny."

"Let me play Devil's Advocate here," Claire interrupted. "First of all, have you asked yourself why, after five years, would your missing boyfriend appear out of the blue in a club in a city where…"

"Claire!"

"_Listen Jessie,_" she snapped back. "It's not that I don't believe you. Really. I will back you up in everything that you do for as long as I can. I just don't want you to have these misguided hopes that at the end might disappoint you."

"I'm not going to be disappointed," Jessie shook her head, "I know it was him. And believe me when I tell you that I too have thought why Jonny would appear out of nowhere now after all these years. But there's an explanation and I'm going to find out."

"Why can't we tell Hadji?"

"Because, Hadji and Doctor Quest went through hell when Jonny disappeared," she replied. "I can't put them through that…at least not until I can confirm that it's really him. That's why you have to promise me you will not say a word to him. Promise me Claire?"

Sighing, the blond girl answered, "Fine." She wasn't happy about lying to her future potential boyfriend, but this was Jessie, her sister, her best friend, and her family. There was no questions about it, she would do what her friend asked of her, "So, what's the next move?'

Smiling Jessie answered, "Meet me at the lighthouse at midnight."

XXXXXXXXXX

DR128 had left his room, took the rental car and drove to the hotel where the gala would take place the next evening. He was there to study the layout of the area. He took pictures that he would later look over in his hotel room and made mental notes along the way. KG765 had watched DR128 from a safe distance, making sure to get to know his target personally.

After picking up his supplies, he took a cab to a rental dealership and rented a car under one of his approved aliases. He then drove to his assigned hotel, left his belongings in his room and drove over to DR128's hotel. He had been following him for over an hour, learning everything he could about him. He seemed an easy target, nothing he hadn't handled before. Yet, he still believed he had to be cautious.

The doctor warned him that DR128 was dangerous and not to believe everything he saw. _Things will not always appear to be what they are with him_, the doctor forewarned. Looking at him from inside the black Charger parked across the street from the hotel, KG765 saw nothing to worry about. At least, not from what he was currently observing.

XXXXXXXXXX

DR128 continued taking pictures. He had purposely worn a University of Miami t-shirt, some worn out jeans and a cap. Those that walked past him sometimes glared curiously while others asked why the picture taking of a local hotel. He'd answer that he was an architecture student taking pictures for one of his projects. As he continued his task, he made mental notes that he kept repeating to himself in his mind. One happened to be the black Charger that parked across from the hotel for almost thirty minutes. He had also noticed that the driver had not excited the car. Someone was watching him.

DR128 continued working on his assignment. There was no need to stop now. He knew that he wouldn't be attacked or killed. At least, not at the moment. If anything, Master would want him to complete the mission before this assassin made a play for him.

His thoughts went elsewhere. If he was being watched by someone, there was a probability that Master had found out about the cabin. He'd have to check if his location after the hit was compromised. If so, he'd have to think fast. His time was limited.

XXXXXXXXXX

A knock on his office door had Phil Corvin looking up from the stack of paperwork he had been reading since he had walked in earlier that morning. After going to bed at almost three o'clock in the morning, he was back in his office by seven reading over the reports the team had compiled the night before at the club. He was so engrossed in his reading, that the knock startled him back to reality. Bidding the person in, he found Alex smiling at him, "Three…maybe four hours of sleep. Did I guess right?"

He shrugged, "Somewhat. The mind kept on working despite the attempt to fall asleep."

"Been there," she answered as she walked in and sat down on the chair across from his desk, "I completed the autopsy on the Remini kid."

"And?"

"Same M.O. Phil," she sighed with concern. "We have a serious problem. There's someone out there who really knows what he is doing. Have you had any leads on finding that kid?"

Phil shook his head, "No, nothing. It's like he vanished from the face of the Earth. I have no idea where the hell he went. Worse, the President is really on my ass for answers and I don't have any."

"It won't be easy when he finds out that an Ambassador's kid got screwed the same way his friend did," she answered looking at her friend with sympathy.

"We could be looking at the same guy, but then again," he shook his head. "We're so screwed. Not to mention that another ambassador was killed in Russia a few days ago."

"Have you increased security for the other members?"

"Yes," Phil nodded his confirmation. "Each ambassador and their immediate families have either I-1 agents or FBI by their side and I've upgraded security for tomorrow's gala as well."

"I'm taking that you'll be there as well?" Alex asked already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I have to make sure we don't have a repeat incident of the last couple of days tomorrow night." He answered just as his phone rang, "Excuse me."

As the agent picked up the phone, Alex stood up, "I have a meeting, we can talk later." She answered as she heard him state his name on the line. He looked up, smiled at her before she walked out.

"Well, you sound horrible old friend," he heard a voice with an English accent respond with a humorous tone.

"Wh…who is this?" he questioned before it dawned on him who it was, "Ethan?"

"Well, who else do you know that can speak with such class and sophistication?" the man on the other side of the line laughed, good naturedly, "How are you Phil?"

"You picked a hell of a time to ask that question," Phil answered with a heavy sigh. Ethan Grant previously worked in the I-1 headquarters of Maine and was the third lead investigator in the Quest disappearance case along with Phil and Zachary. Ethan had made significant contributions throughout his tenure in Maine that the Deputy Chief of the agency chose him to head the London headquarters. It had been a dream for Ethan who had wanted to head his own site for years. It also brought him back home with his friends and family. Phil and Ethan kept in touch from time since his departure a few years back, especially when cases crossed over their perspective sites. "What's going on my friend?"

"I wanted to speak to you about a certain video that was sent to my email account about an hour ago," Ethan replied as his tone grew serious.

"Don't tell me?" Phil groaned, "Please don't tell me…"

"It looked like Jonathan Quest," Ethan blurted out, "Have you seen it?"

"Yes," he replied, "Zach received it yesterday and we've been looking into it."

"Were you going to call me at any time to let me know?" Ethan asked, his tone growing annoyed as he heard Phil give him the new bit of information, "I seem to remember me being part of this case as well."

"Don't get your balls all twisted Ethan," Phil snorted, "Like I told you, Zack received it yesterday and we spoke to Quest and Bannon first before we could continue. Besides, I did have my office contact you so I followed all standard protocol."

"A personal call would have been the gentleman thing to do."

Sighing heavily, Phil answered, "Fine, I'm sorry Ethan, we can talk about my communication skills, or lack thereof later. Now, I need your help because we are going to need all the help we can get."

"What the hell is going on?" Ethan asked as his tone grew serious, "This kid disappeared from the face of the Earth five years ago and reappears in a Moscow hotel making out with some whore."

"It gets worse, who sent you the video?"

"I have in my files, some agent Joseph Ruttenberg. I've tried locating him, but the agency keeps telling me he's on assignment. I can't get a hold of him," Ethan responded.

"My team is working on contacting him too. As soon as I have word I'll call you myself." Phil replied.

"So what do you need my help on?"

"Benton Quest and Race Bannon will travel to Moscow with Zachary to find leads as to Jonny's whereabouts. I would appreciate if you could help them since they'll be in your jurisdiction," Phil replied with a resolute tone.

"They're going to Russia?" Ethan asked. "You're not joining them?"

"I'm working on the UN assassinations, I can't leave," he responded. "I've assigned Zach as the lead. Can you take on the case personally?"

"I'll be glad to help," Ethan responded. "But, Phil, I have my own investigation going on here as well. Need I remind you that I have a Russian Ambassador who was gun down over a week ago?"

"I'm aware," Phil answered, "But Ethan, I need your help in this case. You know this one is...of extreme importance."

Sighing heavily the man on the other line responded, "Alright. I know they are your friends and I know how much that kid means to you."

"Then, you'll help us?"

"Of course I will," he responded, "When will they arrive?"

"They leave this evening," Phil replied, "I'll send you the flight information in a few minutes and where they'll be staying."

"Let me guess…the same hotel that they saw Jonny, correct?" Ethan asked.

"You have to understand Benton," Phil replied, "This new information has given him more hope in finding his son."

"I'm sure Corvin," Ethan told him, "If it was my son, I'd do everything possible to get him back. I don't blame him at all."

"So you'll help us?"

"I'll take one of the agency's jets tonight and meet them there," he responded, "And, I'll keep you posted on any developments."

"Thank you Ethan," Phil replied, "I owe you one."

"Nonsense," the man on the other end of the line replied. "You owe me nothing. I'll call as soon as I can," he said before hanging up.

Once the call was complete, Phil sighed heavily. He hoped that between Zachary and Ethan, Benton would finally get what he'd been trying to find for the last five years, his son.

XXXXXXXXXX

The drive back to the hotel was relatively safe, even though he knew that he was being followed very discreetly. Either way, DR128 knew the other agent would not take him out for the time being; that would be marked at a specific time. He'd know soon enough.

For the moment, DR128 walked back to his room and began uploading the pictures he took on his camera to the laptop. While that was going on, he began looking for any codes indicating that that he had been hacked. It had taken him almost an hour, before sighing deeply. He had in fact been hacked. "They know where I'm going."

He'd have to think another way. Sighing in frustration, DR128 looked at blankly at the screen. Master had become very communicative during the past few days, someone was being extremely proactive following his moves online, and now an assassin was ready to finish him off. Everything was becoming more complicated.

He had to plan out his next move very carefully. If he didn't, it would cost him dearly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Benton walked out of his closet with a couple of shirts on hand bringing them to his bed. Packing was not his favorite thing to do, but at this moment, it didn't seem too bad. The prospect of finding something, anything new about his son was more than he could ask for at the time.

He heard a knock on his door that made him turn around. A second later, Race walked in, "Finishing packing?"

The doctor nodded, "Almost done. What time do we leave?"

"Flight leaves at eight fifteen tonight." Race answered as he walked further in to the room, "We should leave the compound about two hours early. Zachary will be waiting for us in the airport."

"I still don't understand why we can't take any of our planes," Benton sighed. "We would get there much faster."

"We have to follow I-1 procedures. We don't want to raise any suspicions with the Russian government. If they think Jonny has anything to do with the UN assassinations…"

"I know," Benton replied before pausing for a moment. "That's my biggest worry. What if Jonny does have something to do with all this?" he sat down by the edge of the bed and picked up a picture from the nightstand that had him, his wife Rachel and Jonny who could have been no more than three years old at the time, "First Rachel, then him…"

"He's not lost Benton," Race said as he walked closer, "You and I both know that someone did something to Jonny. Whatever it is, now they'd screwed up and they've given us a window of opportunity to get him back."

"What if…"

"We will get him back this time," Race answered firmly, "We won't fail. You will get your son back."

Benton nodded. Leave it to Race Bannon to pull him out of the despair he sometimes fell into. When he lost Rachel, he thought he had lost his will to live. But when he lost Jonny, that feeling was multiplied three times over. Race never gave up hope and inadvertently kept the doctor's hopes up as well, "Have you packed?"

"Yep. All ready and set."

"And the kids?"

"Hadji is looking over the guest list to familiarize himself with all the people he has to meet and the girls went out to pick up the gowns they ordered for the affair."

"Ordered?" Benton looked at Race confused.

"According to my daughter, you can borrow evening gowns….something called couture…Anyways, you kind of rent them and give them back…."

"Oh," nodded with a little smile.

"Don't ask me anymore, I'm surprised I remembered that much," Race laughed.

After a few seconds, Benton's features grew serious, "Race, I need to find him this time. I need my entire family back. It's been too long."

"Benton, you will. Your son will come home."

Looking back at the picture frame, Benton sighed, "I better. Or Rachel will never forgive me."


	9. Chapter 9

Good afternoon! Hope all is well and Happy Thursday!

Thank you all for continuing to read. Jessie and Jonny are very close to seeing each other again, but Jonny needs to dispose of a certain "person" first. And of course, I need to get Race and Benton off to Russia!

**Anatolie:** Thank you. I'm so glad you are enjoying this fic.

**Tj12398:** I think you are going to enjoy the gala. It really is the turning point of the story.

**Harry101:** You know, I did crack up when Jonny was pretending to check out the guy at the bar. I thought about taking that scene away at first, but I just thought it was great! I'm so glad you liked it. Description to detail is actually something I'm challenged with. I still think I need a lot of practice. Thank you for reading. It means a lot to me.

**Jdcocoagirl:** There are a number of twists in this story. I hope I don't confuse anyone! LOL!

**Playlist:**

Moon: Little People

Ludovico Einaudi- A Fuoco

Deep Purple: Highway Star

AC/DC- Highway to Hell

Chapter 9

The last thing Jessie Bannon wanted to do was to sit on the side of a runway aisle at one of classiest boutique shops in Maine staring at models who walked down the runway wearing couture gowns from people whose names she didn't recognize. The models walked with flawless effort wearing floor length gowns down the white staged walkway in the center of the store. Many of the guests stared in awe at the models. Even though the show was put together for Jessie and Claire at the request of Doctor Quest's assistant, Veronica, who had called earlier to arrange the show for the girls.

Jessie turned to Claire and rolled her eyes. Unlike her best friend who seemed to be enjoying every moment, along with the other customers, Jessie wanted nothing more than to leave and lock herself up in her room to begin working on Phoenix. She couldn't wait until she'd installed her into QuestWorld. The thought of finding Jonny tonight was more than she could bear.

Jessie unconsciously let out a heavy frustrated sigh that made Claire turn to her. In a mocking tone, she whispered, "I know that the idea of having a private modeling show to choose dresses worth thousands of dollars may not be appealing to you, but would it kill you to, at least, pretend to have a little fun?"

"How could you expect me to have fun at a time like this, Claire?" Jessie whispered back with a snappy tone.

"Because tonight is going to be a bloody hell of an evening Red!" Claire responded. "You need to relax now, because tonight will not be easy. Besides, what good will it do to be up in your room playing around with Phoenix?"

About to answer back, Claire cut her off, "You'll only raise suspicions from your dad and Doctor Quest who graciously gave us this gift. Don't you think Dr. Quest will question why you're locked in your room rather than choosing the dress for the event he wants us to attend on his behalf?"

Jessie had to admit that her friend was right. The last thing she wanted was to raise suspicions with either her father, Doctor Quest, or Hadji. But the waiting was killing her. Looking back at her friend, her features soften, "You're right, I'm sorry."

Claire gave her back a small smile, "I'll stay up all night with you, if we have to. I'm in all the way with you Red. We'll find something."

Smiling back, Jessie nodded, "Okay."

"Now," Claire looked back at the models, "Which to choose…"

"You'd look very pretty in either the black backless one or that red sleeveless chiffon," Jessie told her sitting up and pointing at the two models who stood at the side of the stage.

"You have been paying attention!" her friend answered with much enthusiasm.

"Funny Claire," Jessie snorted. "Are these all of them?" she asked looking at how all the models began walking out and standing in a chorus line so both girls could see all the dresses at the same time.

"Seems like it. So, have you decided which one you want?"

Jessie looked from one end of the line to the other. Then, running through the line once more, she stopped and stared at one particular model on the far right. Nodding, she smiled a little, "Yeah, I have."

XXXXXXXXXX

"_So what do you need my help on?"_

"_Benton Quest and Race Bannon will travel to Moscow with Zachary to find leads as to Jonny's whereabouts. I would appreciate if you could help them since they'll be in your jurisdiction." _

"_They're going to Russia? You're not joining them?"_

"_I'm working on the UN assassinations, I can't leave. I've assigned Zach as the lead. Can you take on the case personally?"_

"_I'll be glad to help. But, Phil, I have my own investigation going on here as well. Need I remind you that I have a Russian Ambassador who was gun down over a week ago?"_

"_I'm aware. But Ethan, I need your help in this case. You know this one is...of extreme importance."_

"_Alright. I know they are your friends and I know how much that kid means to you."_

"_Then, you'll help us?"_

"_Of course I will. When will they arrive?"_

"_They leave this evening. I'll send you the flight information in a few minutes and where they'll be staying."_

"_Let me guess…the same hotel that they saw Jonny, correct?_

"_You have to understand. This new information has given him more hope in finding his son."_

"_I'm sure Corvin. If it was my son, I'd do everything possible to get him back. I don't blame him at all."_

"_So you'll help us?"_

"_I'll take one of the agency's jets tonight and meet them there. And, I'll keep you posted on any developments."_

"_Thank you Ethan. I owe you one."_

"_Nonsense. You owe me nothing. I'll call as soon as I can."_

Master clicked a button on the computer screen as soon as the conversation he and the doctor had been listening to ceased. They had been able to tap in to Corvin's line in his office. As well as Zachary's line. Master was covering every move the two could make. He was never one to miss anything. Smiling widely, he looked at the doctor, "Everything is going according to plan. Quest and Bannon leave tonight following the crumbs we've been leaving them."

"So Phil Corvin doesn't suspect a thing? What about our I-1 agent who is currently MIA?" The doctor asked a bit skeptical.

"Why should he suspect anything? I-1 is a huge agency. If an agent is out in the field on special assignment, it will take weeks to pull him out. By that time, this assignment will be complete and we'll be off grid." Master replied with a shrug.

"What about Quest?"

"What about him?"

The doctor leaned forward on the chair he had been sitting on and shook his head, "You've basically awaken his thirst to find out what happened to his son."

"His son?" Master raised his voice, "Aidan is my son, has always been my son and will always be my son! Do you understand?"

The doctor controlled himself from rolling his eyes, "I understand and I didn't mean anything by it. Of course, he is your son. All I am saying is that you are reawakening those feelings in him again."

"Don't worry about Quest," Master replied with a sigh, "He'll find another dead end and will go back to his beloved compound with a tail between his legs."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Why do you ask me that?"

"Because," the doctor answered. "You've gone through great lengths to get your son back. What do you think he'll do to get Jonathan…Aidan….whatever you want to call him back?"

The Master didn't answer.

Feeling a laugh coming, but controlling himself once again, the doctor stood up and began walking out of the Master's office, "I suggest you begin creating alternative plans…just in case Quest decides not to return to his beloved compound empty handed."

Walking out of the room, the doctor smiled maliciously. His friend of many years was becoming soft. Who would have known? Deciding to check up on his plan, he made it back to his office and contacted his assassin. He had thought of holding him off after his conversation with the Master the day before, but then changed his mind when another idea presented itself in his head. His assassin picked up the phone on the first ring, "Give me news," He ordered.

"Nothing to report," the assassin told him. "He's been checking out the hit sight and is now in his room, probably organizing himself."

"Have you made your presence known?"

"No,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"DR128 is very smart. Do not underestimate him."

"I have not."

"As planned, make sure he finishes his job before you finish him off. After that, make him disappear. I want no trace of him." the doctor answered with a venomous tone. "I want a clean hit. No witness. And, if you find any, kill them too. Understand?"

"Yes,"

"Do not fail me."

"I won't."

"You will have no contact from me until you come back," the doctor replied. "Until then, you are on your own."

"I understand,"

"Good," he replied before he hung up. Satisfied that his plan was going well, the doctor returned to the paperwork he needed to finish for that day.

XXXXXXXXXX

Dinner had been an early affair at the compound. Because both Doctor Quest and Race were leaving on a flight to Moscow that evening, Mrs. Evans cooked early and by four thirty they had all assembled in the dining room for a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and salad dinner.

"What did Ms. Evans do to this chicken?' Claire asked obviously savoring the entrée the older woman had cooked for them.

"That good?" Hadji asked with a small laugh.

"It's delicious!" she answered. "It's sooo tasty."

The rest of the group let out a laugh, Claire had brought in a dynamic to the house that made them feel good and happy. To them, she was the ball of energy the team needed.

"She does cook well," Race answered as he continued eating.

"Jonny always loved her chicken," Jessie suddenly said without thinking.

The room suddenly became quiet and Jessie watched the group looking back at her closely, "I'm sorry…I…"

"No," Benton smiled sadly. "It's…it's nice to include him."

Jessie smiled and nodded. Race looked at his friend who continued eating silently. In his mind, he prayed that they'd find some clue in Russia, something that could lead Benton back to his son.

XXXXXXXXXX

Looking at the rearview mirror, DR128 could see he was being followed, but that was alright, it's what he wanted anyway. If he could lead his assassin onto another path, then he would achieve what he wanted. He already knew that the agent would try to kill him after he would complete the assignment. It was the only explanation as to why he hadn't killed him off earlier. That meant there was a window of opportunity to fight back. He could escape now and leave everything behind. But, then he'd have every agent after him. Sooner or later he would lose.

The other option was to go after the Master himself, but first he'd have to kill off the tail behind him. DR128 continued driving. It wasn't the right time to do that. He'd need information first. But then again, information could always be obtained prior to cutting off a nuisance.

XXXXXXXXXX

Later that evening, Jessie and Hadji drove their parents to the airport. Race made sure to tell Jessie of all things needed to keep IRIS updated while Doctor Quest spoke to his son about the UN ball and the other responsibilities and meetings he'd attend on his behalf.

"Dad, I know what I have to do," Jessie tried to reason. "I've worked with IRIS since I was fifteen. I think I can handle her even more now."

"You haven't worked with her in over four years," Race reminded her.

"Give or take a few years," she joked. "Dad, I'll be fine. If I run into problems, I'll call you."

"Yeah, right," her father snorted.

Jessie laughed, "Why would you say that?

"Because Jessica Bannon, you are incredibly stubborn and I know you'd rather park your ass on a chair for days trying to figure out what is wrong rather than calling for help."

"You got that right," she nodded proudly. "How else do you think I've gotten that good?"

"That good?"

She laughed again, "Oh yeah Dad. That good!"

A few chairs away, Doctor Quest spoke with Hadji, "I have a meeting with the Board of Monday. It's just an update meeting, nothing that should be out of the ordinary. I've cancelled everything else for the week, but I've authorized Veronica to keep you up to date with anything that I should know about."

"Do not worry, Father," Hadji gently placed his hand on his father's shoulder. "I think I can handle things here."

"This project is very important Hadji. I-1 is notorious for secrecy, I may not be able to get in touch that often," Benton warned. He hated lying to his son, but he also knew that once in Russia, he'd be too busy trying to find clues to Jonny's whereabouts that his mind wouldn't be on Quest industries or anything related to his work, "But if there is an emergency, call me immediately. I just don't want you to think that I don't want to talk to you."

"Why would you think that?" Hadji asked. "I know how I-1 works. Do not worry Father, we'll be alright." The young man smiled. Too naïve to realize what his father meant, Hadji shook his head, "Too tell you the truth, I think it will be a bit fun to play CEO for a few days."

His father laughed, "Why is that?"

The young man shrugged, "It will be nice to see what I will be getting into in the future. I do not mind working the scientific end, but the administration of the enterprise…I am not quite sure."

"You'll do fine son," he assured, "I honestly thought that you meant it would be fun because you could impress Claire." Benton smiled.

He began laughing when he swore he saw his son pale in parlor, "Hadji, I was just kidding!"

The young man said nothing. It was as if he froze.

"Hadji, it's alright, if you feel attracted to her. She's a very nice and attractive young woman and…I think she likes you too."

"Really?" Hadji's eyes lit up, "You really think so?"

About to answer, Doctor Quest was interrupted by Zachary Scott who had walked up to him, "Benton?"

Looking up, the doctor recognized the I-1 agent and quickly stood up, "Zach, ready for our trip?"

"As I'll ever be," the agent replied with a small smile. Looking at the younger man, he extended his hand for greeting, "Hello Hadji, nice to see you again son. How are you? Coping a bit better, I hope?"

"We are better, thank you Agent Scott," he answered as he shook the older man's hand. "Will Mr. Corvin be joining you?"

"Unfortunately no," Zach replied, "Phil is up to his eyeballs working yesterday's homicide case. " At this point, both Race and Jessie had walked over to the three men, "Race, Jessie," he greeted before continuing, "Not to mention he has the UN Ambassador Homicide from last week. He asked me if I could accompany your parents instead."

Jessie's mind wondered. About to ask him another question, she was suddenly cut off by the announcement that passengers had to begin checking in.

"I guess that's our cue," Benton realized as he smiled to his son, "Come on, Hadji, want to see your old man off?"

"Sure," he nodded and began walking his father toward the line.

Looking at his daughter, Race asked humorously, "Want to see your old man off?"

"I guess," Jessie mocked back, "There's really nothing else to do here." Suddenly, her phone rang. Taking it out of her pocket, she looked at it, "It's Claire, give me a minute."

"Sure," her father replied as she walked off from sight for a moment. "Those two are attached at the hip," he said looking at Zach.

Looking for a moment at Jessie whose attention was clearly on her call, Zach answered, "Well, it's a good thing they are, it gives me a moment to brief you on the latest update."

"What is it?" Race's attention and demeanor changed.

"Nothing to worry about," Zach answered, "As a matter of fact, it could be good news. I was going to tell you this when we got on the plane, but now that we have a moment, I wanted to let you know that Ethan Grant will be meeting us over at Moscow."

"Ethan? Well, Benton will be happy." Race admonished. "Seems like the old group is back."

Sighing as Jessie was making her way back to them, Zach answered, "Let's just hope that this time we have a better outcome than before."

XXXXXXXXXX

DR128 drove for over an hour, the tail close behind. He continued driving until he found an old saloon off Route 559. He had been thinking of the idea along the drive. It was a bit of a careless plan, but he didn't have a choice. He needed to get rid of the tail. Pulling up to the parking lot, he parked his car and walked in, hoping he'd be followed inside. Still wearing his jeans and UM shirt, DR128 stood out from the older biker crowd that played pool or darts. Some stared at him wondering what a young man his age was doing hanging out in a biker's saloon. _Good_, he thought. The tail would be wondering the same. He sat a dimmed lit area, his back facing the door. He couldn't allow the tail to think he'd been seen by him. After all, he didn't doubt he'd get curious stares as well.

It took about five minutes before a woman, probably in her late forties, early fifty's with a tight mini and a halter top red T walked up to his table, "What are you doing here kid? This place isn't for you."

"I've been driving for hours," he answered. "On my way to Boston. I am thirsty. First place I found on the road."

"Been driving for hours?" she questioned with an arched brow, "And you're not hungry?"

"This dump doesn't look like it serves five star meals," he smiled a mischievous smile.

"You got that right," she laughed at his humorous nature.

He noticed she was missing a tooth on the left side of her mouth. She also had a mole on her right cheek. He laughed along with her.

"Still, I don't think I can serve you anything more than Coca Cola or milk."

Pulling up one of his ID's from his wallet, he handed it to the toothless woman very naturally, "I think I can have a little more than that."

She looked at it, but didn't question it. She had seen enough fakes in her time and immediately knew this card was the real deal, "Alright Matthew, what will you be having tonight?"

"Just a Sam Adams."

"They have about fourteen—"

"Surprise me," he smiled. "I'm sure you know how to pick'em."

"Don't I ever," she laughed again before walking away.

Alone again, Jonny sat back in his chair and waited. Soon, the tail would appear. Curiosity would get the better of him at some point.

XXXXXXXXXX

Driving back home, Jessie had been so quiet that Hadji looked at her, "Hey, Jess, are you alright?" When she didn't answer him, Hadji tried again, "Jess?"

"Huh?" she answered startled, "I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else."

"What is going on Jessie?" he asked gently taking her hand, "Something has been on your mind since you returned home."

"What do you mean?"

"You have been playing it off," Hadji replied, "But I know you Bannon."

"You are over analyzing me, Hadj," she played off, squeezing his hand gently before letting it go. Then, she faced out the window once more.

"And you are undermining my intelligence," the young man replied as he kept looking forward. "Now, tell me."

Sighing, Jessie turned to him, "Don't you find it a bit strange that the same people who handled Jonny's disappearance five years ago are the same ones that your father and my father are working with to develop some crap that I-1 suddenly needs?"

"I am very well aware of that," he nodded calmly as he kept driving.

Widening her green eyes, Jessie turned to him, "You've known all along and have kept quiet? What gives Hadj?"

"Jessie, why do you think our fathers are hiding the possibility of a lead in Jonny's case?" he asked, continuing to speak in a calm and gentle voice that was beginning to bother the hell out of the red head.

"I guess…not to give us any false hopes? She answered with a shrug.

"Precisely," he nodded, "Why put more pressure? We have suffered enough with this tragedy. I do not want to put any more pressure on father than I have to. I can wait until he is ready to speak. Can you?"

"No!" Jessie immediately told him. "If I could have gotten my way, I would have been on that plane with them."

"Then, why did you not go?"

She couldn't bring herself to tell Hadji that she suspected that Jonny was in the city. False hope was a bastard. Her friend shouldn't go through that as well. Maybe she did understand what he meant about their fathers, after all. Holding her secret at least until she was sure, Jessie just replied, "I guess I don't want to put more pressure on Dad. I know he feels guilty for what happened to Jonny as well."

Smiling, Hadji nodded, "Do not worry Jessie. I am sure we will find out something soon."

Nodding in agreement, Jessie sighed. More than ever, she wanted nothing more than midnight to roll around to put Phoenix to work.

XXXXXXXXX

Two hours and the prick hadn't made one move. Alone in his car and wanting to take a piss, he waited for DR128 to do something, anything. Why the hell had he gone to a bar in the middle of nowhere? Was he meeting someone?

With all the preparations that needed to be done for the UN ball the next day, he doubted DR128 was on a recreational outing. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel of his car, he sighed heavily before speaking to himself out loud, "Bastard knows."

Well, the cover had been blown. The doctor was right, the kid was smart, but he was smarter. Getting out of the car, he walked toward the trunk. He'd hadn't stayed alive all these years out of pure luck. DR128 would soon find out that he wasn't as smart as he thought.

XXXXXXXXXX

In two hours DR128 had done more than he thought. He drank three Sam Adams of different flavors provided by none other than the toothless waitress. Her name was Giannine and she had like him so much that she didn't charge him the last one. He had struck up conversation with at least three bikers, none of which would remember him since they were drunk beyond understanding and he now knew that the Boston Logger was his least favorite beer.

Currently, he was playing pool with a gang of thugs that believed were taking advantage of him. It was their second game of pool and he was out five hundred dollars which the thugs happily and without question took from him.

"Kid, you are just losing money tonight!" an older biker with a long grey beard and thick muscles laughed as he drowned the last of his beard.

"Guess it isn't my night," DR128 answered shaking his head regrettably.

"Well, I'm sure daddy can replenish your funds," the man replied. "Lose this shot and I'm in another two fifty."

Looking at the old dude, he smiled, "How about if I make it?"

The entire group laughed whole-heartedly, he replied, "Kid, you haven't made one shot tonight, what makes you think you're going to get lucky?"

He shrugged, "I don't know…but it can't hurt, can it?"

"Alright then," the older man nodded, "What do you want?"

"Your jacket," he answered, "It's pretty cool and well, it be great to have."

"My jacket?" the guy answered, "No one's ever asked for this." He looked over at the old beat up black jacket with the red lettering in the back that read 'Hell's Brothers." He had owned the jacket for a couple of years, why would the kid want some old beat up jacket, he didn't know. But, it wasn't like he was going to get it anyway. Looking back at DR128, he smiled, "You're on." He gestured him toward the eight ball lying on the left corner of the table. All he had to do was hit the red 9 ball to the center pocket of the table. "It's all yours dude."

Going over to the table, he leaned over and positioned the billiard stick to the eight ball. Carefully, he looked over the where he had to hit the ball precisely in order to get that nine ball in the correct pocket. He could have won the first two games if he wanted, but there was a purpose to his games. With a hard hit the eight ball rolled over the table, hit he nine ball and with ease it fell to the center corner pocket. "Alright! Whoo!" he yelled excitedly, "Finally!"

The old man looked stunned, he really wasn't expecting it. Looking up, he stared at the kid, "I hope that that was a lucky shot kid?"

"It was. I never thought I'd make it," he answered.

The biker was not convinced, "Really?"

DR128 watched the other bikers turn serious. They would back up their friend if they needed to, "Listen, I really didn't think I make it."

The guy didn't lighten up, but reluctantly, he took off his jacket and handed it over. DR18 took it, "Thank you for the game…hey, how about I buy you all a round of beer? I had fun tonight."

That changed the attitudes of the group. The old guy smiled, "You're ok kid."

"Thanks," he said as he put the jacket on, "My dad is going to kick my ass, but at least I got this cool jacket!"

The group laughed as he told them he was going to the bar to get their drinks. It was at that point where he saw the one he had been waiting for all this time. Walking over to the bar, he told the waiter as he handed him three hundred dollar bills, "Can you get my friends here as many beers this will buy?"

"Not a problem," the guy said, "These guys are going to love you."

DR128 smiled. Turning to his friends he gave them a thumbs up as they all cheered. Then, he walked over to a small hallway at the end of the establishment where his next steps would take place.


	10. Chapter 10

My apologies as this is a little late. Chapters 10 and 11 were probably the hardest to write for me. I hope they came out well. If not, don't be shy! I can always re-write. LOL!

**Anatolie:** Well, here is a little bit of what happens next!

**TJ2398:** Hope you like this chapter. The re-write was a little painful to say the least. LOL!

**Jdcocoagirl:** You are right about these two coming chapters being a bridge. Everything will change a bit after Jessie and Jonny finally meet. As for Hadji, well, he will play an important part in his brother's life too. Hope you stay tuned.

_**Playlist:**_

AC/DC: This House is on Fire

Milky Chance: Running

All Along the Watchtower: The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Chapter 10

KG765 watched DR128 walk over to a hallway at the end of the bar after he gave a thumb's up to a group of bikers playing pool across the other side of the bar. As the bikers cheered for their free beer, the assassin waited a while before following DR128 down the hallway. By now, AC/DC was playing loudly over the speakers, the sounds of billiards hitting the billiards balls, and the smell of beer muddled with chalk filled the atmosphere around him. The bar was pretty full, despite it being in the middle of nowhere.

Getting ready to make his move, KG765 walked past the bar and headed toward the hallway. As he suspected, the male and female bathrooms were located in that area. He figured the kid would want to corner him. No matter, he was prepared. Without hesitation, he walked in to the men's bathroom. Three stalls, all occupied. Two sinks with one single mirror that extended from one end of the wall to the other was the only thing that decorated the facility. For being a biker bar, the place was semi clean. The once white tile on the walls and floor were pale yellow, he had expected them to be a deeper shade.

Two men by the sinks were laughing and joking around, offering short curious glances at him through the mirror. As one of the stalls became unoccupied, he figured that one of the other two would have DR128. He would have walked out, but the guys by the sink were already eyeing him suspiciously. He walked in the stall and waited until he could walk out again. A minute or two passed by before he finally did and that's when he noticed that the men who occupied the other two stalls were not DR128. He hadn't gone to the men's bathroom.

Washing his hands as to not raise anymore suspicions, he then dried them with the automatic hand dryer before walking out of the bathroom and heading to the women's bathroom. No doubt, DR128 would be waiting for him there.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Jessie arrived at the compound with Hadji, she wasted no time locking herself in her room. Turning on her computer, she loaded Phoenix and began working feverously. Midnight would roll around sooner than expected and she wanted to have everything ready.

A knock on the door had her rolling her eyes, "Come in."

Claire walked in, "Boy, you don't waste time, do you?"

"Claire, I'm busy," Jessie said without looking up from her computer screen. "Listen, I need all the time I can get before I can load Pheonix into QuestWorld."

"Well," Claire answered smiling, "I just came in to let you know that Ms. Evans is gone for the night and you might get a shot at sticking Phoenix into QuestWorld sooner than you think."

"I thought we decided we wouldn't go to the lighthouse until midnight," Jessie replied immediately stopping what she was doing.

"Well, that's true and that was the original plan," Claire nodded as she continued, "But, what if I were to tell you that I can get you to go….oh, in about fifteen…twenty minutes?"

At that, Jessie stood up abruptly, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What I'm saying is that no one will be home tonight. Ms. Evans is gone and Hadji just invited me to tag along to Quest industries to help him pick up some paperwork he needs for a conference call tomorrow morning. You have the entire house to yourself Red," Claire told her with a wink and a sparkle in her voice.

"Seriously!" Jessie replied hugging her friend, "Awesome!"

"What's more awesome is that if you treat me right, I can make him take me out for coffee after. I'll be giving you more time at the lighthouse. If I get lucky, I might not be back until _after_ midnight," she replied laughing.

"You'd do that for me?"

"No, I'd do that for me!" Claire shook her head. "One on one time with Hadji…come on Jessie this is a win-win situation for both of us."

"Oh, thank you!" Jessie said giving her friend another hug. "Now, get the hell out of the house."

Laughing, Claire shook her head, "Fine, you don't have to tell me twice. I'll see you later, Red," she said before walking out.

Satisfied, Jessie began to close out the program and log off. She then went to the kitchen to make some coffee and get some snacks. She hoped that Hadji and Claire wouldn't be back till after midnight, giving her most of the evening to find the answers she was looking for.

XXXXXXXXXX

KG765 walked in to the women's bathroom cautiously. It was no different than the men's room, except for a medium sized window at a corner end of the facility. The bathroom was empty. Well almost, DR128 stood by the far end of the room, wearing a biker jacket and staring back at his assailant, "Took you long enough," he told him in a neutral tone.

"When did you find out?"

"This afternoon," DR128 answered with a small smile, "While conducting…research."

Nodding, he smiled back, "You're smart kid." Walking closer, the 'kid' pulled out his gun on him. KG765 stopped, "Not as smart as I was told, but smart," he said as he raised his hand in the air.

"Who sent you?"

"Who do you think?" he questioned back.

DR128 gestured his assailant toward one of the bathroom stalls, "Get in."

"I don't have to go," he joked before he got in as told. "So, what are you going to do?" he asked after he walked in and faced him, "Kill me?"

"Actually…" he answered as KG765 made a move to pull the gun away from him. DR128 was faster. The assassin barely made a move before firing four shots into the man's chest.

The man fell back on the toilet seat. About to check for a pulse, he was interrupted by a group of drunken bikers laughing outrageously walked in, "Girl's bathroom my ass!"

DR128 closed the stall door and put his gun away as the bikers continued coming in, "Kid, couldn't get a stall either, could you?"

Shaking his head, he answered, "Nope. But, I wouldn't go in there…It's not pretty." The men laughed, too drunk, they found everything funny. "See you later guys." He said as he walked out of the bathroom. Still wearing the jacket, he walked out without glancing at the rest of the group he had spoken to before.

The window in the women's bathroom would prove useful for an escape. But the drunks had messed up his plans. He'd have to improvise.

Going to his assailant's car, he found it unlocked and managed to open the trunk. There, he found exactly what he was looking for. He thought about loading all the artillery from the assailant's car into his car. You could never have enough guns or ammo. But, he knew that with time, he'd have to get rid of his car. _Might as well do it now_, he thought. Instead, he quickly went to his car and retracted everything that would connect to him. Walking over to the back of the bar, he found the window to the woman's bathroom and checked for obstacles that would prevent a fast retrieval of the body. The back was clear. He walked back inside the bar, everyone was entertained and since he'd been in there so long, no one took a second glance at him.

He walked back to the women's bathroom. No one was in there; no one except for one. Walking over to the stall, he opened it to find the body still slumped on the toilet. He took the jacket he was wearing off and put it on the body. Then, he picked him up in a fireman's carry and walked over to the window. Opening it, he quickly worked on taking the body out through the window. When he finally did, he climbed up and closed the window as much as he could. He checked the assailant for the car keys and found them in one of his pockets.

Walking over the car, he opened the trunk, and deposited the body. But not before picking up a specific device from the assailant's goody bag before closing the trunk and locking the car. He walked over to his car placed the device on the bottom of his car by the front of the driver's side wheel. If they find his car, he'd know. He got in the car and drove a few miles toward a forest highway. He drove the car in as much as he could and hid within a cluster of thick trees. He jogged his way back to the bar where a couple of the guys he played pool with were already out talking amongst themselves by their bikes.

"Hey kid!" one of the guys yelled, "Thanks for the drinks!"

"Anytime," DR128 yelled back. "Maybe I'll catch you guys next time I'm back." He waved at them before unlocking his assailant's car, getting in and driving out.

For a moment, he thought of where to go next. Then, he made up his mind. He'd have to work fast and get back to the city before the UN Ball began.

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessie thought she'd have an anxiety attack waiting for Claire and Hadji to leave the mansion. But once they did, she picked up everything that she needed and rushed to the lighthouse. Once she got there, she made herself comfortable and instructed IRIS to let her know when both Hadji and Claire returned. She hoped that Claire would convince Hadji to stay out longer.

Taking out a small disk, the size of the palm of her hand, she took a deep breath, "I hope this works." Then, she walked out to QuestWorld's control panel and inserted the disk. Jessie waited until the program downloaded and the computer generated male voice called out, "Phoenix successfully installed. Ready to activate."

"Great," she nodded with enthusiasm. "Prepare to enter QuestWorld."

"Acknowledge," the computer answered. "Please identify area of scouting."

Jessie replied by telling the computer the exact address to the Oasis nightclub and instructed to search five yards around the establishment.

"Acknowledge," the computer repeated again. "Identify date and time of scouting."

"June 4th, time range nine pm to twelve am June 5th."

"All information imputed and relevant," the computer replied. "Ready to enter Questworld?"

Walking over to one of the chairs in the lab, Jessie lied down and placed the goggles over her eyes, "I'm ready."

The computer took a moment to scan Jessie before replying, "QuestWorld sign on, subject Jessica Bannon."

Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Going hot."

Within seconds, Jessie saw a surge of lights before suddenly finding herself inside the Oasis Nightclub.

XXXXXXXXXX

"This is Doctor Quest's office, wow…." Claire whistled as Hadji led her in to his father's office. She didn't expect anything that should be surprising. Doctor Quest was one, if not, the most accomplished scientist of his time. Not only that, he was an extremely savvy businessman and entrepreneur. Why wouldn't he have an office the size of an entire floor? Okay, maybe she was exaggerating, but an office with a conference table that sat six people, a living area, a bar, a bathroom, a very large desk with a state of the art computer and three wide screen monitors and a number of screens on wall that overlooked different research and development departments…well, Claire felt like she was on a mini floor of the building. She turned and looked at the floor to ceiling window that overlooked the entire downtown metropolitan area. "With an office like this, I wonder why he spends more of his time at the compound."

"Well, he concentrates better when he is inventing something at the compound, but once all that is complete, then he spends equal amounts of time during the development phase here. I am amazed he can handle so much," Hadji answered realizing that he did this to take his mind off of Jonny.

"It's an incredible office," Claire replied still walking around. When she reached his desk, she found a large eight by ten picture frame of Dr. Quest, his wife and Jonny, probably at age five or so. Then, she noticed another one of the doctor and Jonny, much more current by some ruins. It looked like they were somewhere off in South America.

Walking up to her, Hadji smiled sadly, looking at the same picture, "That was taken about three days prior to his disappearance."

"In Peru," Claire nodded. Both men were smiling. The background, a Mayan temple, the sun casting its light made the picture even more remarkable, "Jessie took this picture, didn't she?"

"How did you know?" Hadji asked curiously.

"She's described every detail of that trip to me over the years," Claire replied, putting the picture down where she found it. "She didn't talk much, but from the little that she did…I could tell."

"What else has she told you?"

Claire inwardly froze. Maybe it was she who had spoken too much, "Well, only that she still feels responsible for what happened."

"Nonsense," Hadji shook his head, "She is no more at fault than he is. Whatever happened….no one could have prevented it." Nodding, Claire agreed. He walked over to the other side of the desk and picked up a dark blue folder that he needed for tomorrow night. Then, looking over at the blond woman who now had made her way to the large window, asked, "Would you like to see your office?"

That made her turn around immediately, "What?"

Hadji laughed, "Well, you are going to be doing most of the research at the compound, but you will also be involved in the development of father's inventions…he made sure you got an office here too."

"No way!" she screamed, "Are you serious?"

"You better act this surprised when he shows it too you," he warned with a smile. "It was supposed to be a surprise for you and Jessie. He is going to need her for most of the interface work involved in moving some of the future prototypes to our factories. He wanted her to have an office here as well. "

"We are getting our own offices?"

"Well, yes," he nodded. "But, they are not as big as his." He could not stop smiling at seeing Claire's twinkling eyes. "Come on, I will show you."

XXXXXXXXXX

He continued driving through the dark highway, down the forest highways in a killer's car with a body in the trunk. Looking at the signage on the road he noticed that he still had sixty miles to make it to his destination. _Another hour or two_, he said to himself as he kept driving. "Well, there's still time to plan."

XXXXXXXXXX

Jessie and Claire's offices were right next to each other. They were not big or as glamorous as Dr. Quest's (or even Hadji's for that matter), but they were nice. And truth be told, rarely did twenty year olds get offices in their first jobs. After leaving the office, Claire, wanting to give Jessie more time for time on QuestWorld, convinced Hadji to take her to the local Starbucks. The two sat down at one of the tables after they ordered their coffee just enjoying their drinks and listening to the jazz music playing overhead, "Enjoying the coffee?" Hadji asked looking at the blonde who hadn't stopped smiling since they had left Quest Corp's corporate offices.

"Very much so," she answered. "It's the best way to end the day. Don't you think?"

"Well, I think I created a coffee addiction during my first year in the Ph.D. program. I do not know how many late nights I spent during my first year trying to stay awake and having this," he replied lifting his cup, "be the only thing keeping me awake."

"Is that what I have to look forward to?" Claire asked cringing.

"I wish I could tell you different," Hadji shrugged. "But, look at the bright side, you still have some time before you commit to the program, am I right?"

"I seriously need a year or two of experience under my belt before going back to school," she replied. "For now, I need to concentrate on this new job."

"You will do great, Claire," he responded, "You have nothing to worry about."

"Well, the actual work doesn't worry me," she told him, hopefully extending the conversation, "It's the social gatherings like the one tomorrow that do."

Hadji laughed a bit, "What do you mean? The ball? You expect me to believe that you, out of all people, would be nervous about a social gathering?"

"Yes," she nodded excitedly. "You…you're used to going to those things, mingling with the VIP's….I go to keg and sorority parties."

"I wasn't used to them at the beginning," Hadji confided, "But after a couple of them you get used to them."

"Right," Claire nodded skeptically. "If you say so."

"Well, how about this," Hadji suddenly sat up. He looked nervous almost hesitant.

"Hadj…you ok," Claire looked at him.

"Yeah…"

"You sure? It looks like the cat suddenly caught your tongue," she tried joking before realizing what he was attempting to do. She went cold and hated that she hastily spoke before he could. "Hadj…what were you going to say?"

"Actually….I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to the ball?"

Claire smiled as she whispered to him, "Hadji…I am…"

He laughed nervously, "I know…I just…."

"What?" she whispered again.

"I was wondering if you would be my date."

Claire grinned from ear to ear, "I'd love too." She picked up her coffee cup and toasted, "What took you so long?"

XXXXXXXXXXX

Jessie stared in awe around her. She stood in the middle of a 3D image of the club. People were frozen in the act of dancing. It felt eerie. She could walk through these people as if she were a ghost, yet they were there as clear as if she were standing next to them in real life. She knew it was a satellite recording from that night, but she never thought she'd be able to create a program that could create a holographic image of the recording perfectly. The entire club was at her disposal without worrying about anyone checking or looking at her back, "Wow…" she whispered in between breaths. "Initiate scan demographic profile," she ordered Phoenix.

"Acknowledge." Phoenix replied.

"Male, age range, twenty to twenty five, blonde hair, blue eyes, height, possible five feet nine to six feet one inches."

"Running scan…." The computer answered and little by little images of most of the people at the club began disappearing in front of Jessie. "Matching description of possible subjects, forty two." Soon, only those fitting the description she had told the computer stayed. There were still many people in fact and she began walking around trying to see if she could find him. She looked at every one of the young men frozen around her.

"Where are you?" she whispered as she inspected each face with scrupulous detail. "You have to be here. I know you're here somewhere Jonny."

Jessie continued searching around the club. Soon, she reached a gentleman closely matching Jonny's features, well, at least the ones she remembered. But, upon closer inspection, Jessie shook her head disappointed. It wasn't Jonny. The man before her had a more chiseled chin and a narrower face, dull blue eyes. Turning to check the other side of the club, Jessie was suddenly startled when she almost ran into another man. She had almost forgotten that she could walk right through them.

Her heart stopped. The man before her was about six feet, maybe six feet one inches tall. He wore a dark blue blazer and pair of slacks that matched the jacket. The clothes looked very expensive. His blonde hair was medium length, parted in the center with brushings to the sides and back. It was styled in a way that gave it a messy, but sexy look. Jonny's eyes were just as she remembered them, a deep blue, almost violet in color. She could never forget his eyes. They were his mother's eyes. It was one of the things he had inherited from Rachel Quest, aside from the blonde hair. Jessie couldn't stop looking into Johnny's eyes. Aside from the beauty she saw in them, she also saw something that scared her. She saw in them darkness that she couldn't comprehend. It was as if he possessed no feelings, no attachments, his gaze deeply disturbed her.

"Jonny, what are you doing here?" she spoke to him knowing he wouldn't answer her back. Studying him further, Jessie mirrored his gaze at nothing, "What are you looking at? Is it me? Did you see me?" Suddenly looking up, Jessie ordered, "Phoenix, activate playing mode."

"Acknowledge," the computer stated and suddenly, everyone at the club reappeared. Even Flo Rida's song, Wild One" blasted in Jessie's ears. Turning towards Jonny, she followed him as he began walking toward her recorded version dancing with Remini. Jessie watched and followed Jonny throughout the scene. She even watched herself from far ahead when she had first seen him. Jonny walked through those dancing with such ease that no one paid attention. Then, he retrieved his cell phone from his pocket as he got closer to them. He dialed three numbers and within seconds the man Jessie danced with fell down on the floor. She still couldn't understand what happened, "Phoenix, replay! Slow motion."

"Acknowledge."

Jessie watched as the video rewind and start again, very slowly. Once again Jonny walked through the crowd, this time very slowly. Once he was close to them he retrieved the phone and dialed, but Jessie watched something very different. The phone ejected a small needle like object that flew toward the Italian causing him what Jessie knew would happen next, his death, "Oh my God, Jonny." Shocked, she then called out, "Phoenix. Play again. Normal speed."

"Acknowledge."

The video began playing regularly and Jessie watched as Jonny ran out of the dance floor as people screamed. He took off towards a back door of the club and disappeared.

Jessie began running after him noticing that she couldn't go further as he closed the door from where he left, "Damn it!"

"Phoenix! Show outside of club!" It took the computer a couple of minutes to show the outside of the club. Moments later, Jessie found herself outside the club, right behind Jonny as he made his getaway, "Play scene."

She followed Jonny out of the alley to the street where he casually walked to a car while she heard the sounds of ambulances and cop cars by the club. Jonny entered the car and drove off, Jessie watched it all. She knew it was a program, she knew it wasn't the real Jonny, but it looked so real.

Thinking, her next move, Jessie spoke out, "Phoenix, log me off."

"Acknowledge. Jessica Bannon, logging off Questworld."

Opening her eyes, Jessie got out of the chair and walked over to the computer. Looking at her watch, she noticed that she'd been on QuestWorld for over two hours, "Phoenix runs slower on Questworld," she told herself. Claire and Hadji would be back soon, she'd have to work on the program some more so it would run faster next time.

XXXXXXXXXX

It had been hours since they had taken off on their way to Russia. Zack had fallen asleep, Race was working on his laptop putting together an itinerary and Benton stared off in space as he looked out the window, "You know, you should really get some rest," he heard Race tell him as the man continued to look at the screen.

"I don't believe you are following your own advice Race," Benton responded without looking at his friend. "To tell you the truth, I'm not really sleepy."

"I can see that," Race answered closing the laptop. "But once we get there, we may not have too many chances to rest. Maybe you should try to grab some Z's now that you have the chance."

"Race‒"

"I'm serious Benton," the white haired man firmly stated, "Get some rest. You will do no one good if we have to drag you off the floor because you can't keep yourself together."

"I wish I could Race, but I can't. My mind keeps going over and over that video…what we saw. What if it isn't Jonny," he sighed. "Will we have another disappointing outcome? Or, if it is, then who the hell has him doing…"

"Don't get ahead of yourself Benton," Race shook his head, "We don't know what's going on. Let's not jump into conclusions yet."

Benton turned his head to watch the seat across from him. Zack was on the aisle seat sleeping peacefully just like a couple of other passengers, "Looks like Zach has no problem."

"He's never had a problem," Race sighed. "That guy can sleep through a heavy metal concert."

The doctor chuckled. Then, laid back on his chair and closed his eyes, "You're right, let's get some rest. But once we get there, don't ask me to rest Race."

"I don't expect you to tell me the same either, Benton," he replied as he too laid back and closed his eyes.

XXXXXXXXXX

At first his line of sight was just blurry and he felt nauseous. He tried moving but found that he couldn't. His hands were tied to something…

"I made sure you can't move," KG765 heard a familiar voice said.

Suddenly, the blurriness slowly began to dissolve around him, "What did you shoot me with?"

"Enough tranquilizers to put you out for the two and a half hour drive," was all DR128 said.

The assailant looked up and found his target staring curiously at him, "Where are we?"

"You didn't think I would get you?" DR128 asked calmly.

"You haven't."

DR128 didn't answer for a moment, "Who sent you?"

He didn't answer. Instead, KG765 looked around. It looked like he was inside a cabin of some sorts. He was in the living room, tied to a chair close to the fireplace where the fire cracked lightly.

"Who sent you?"DR128 repeated.

"You know who," the assassin smiled a bit. "Shouldn't be a surprise."

"What was the plan?"

"The plan_ is_ to kill you after you complete your assignment at the UN ball," he answered with a cool, eerie tone.

DR128 smiled and walked away from him. Going over to the kitchen he picked up a rather large red container from the counter, "I'm sorry to have ruined your plans." He opened the container and began dumping out the liquid on the floor and around the furniture, curtains, and other areas of the living room.

"It is quite a shame," the man tied up on the chair answered calmly without any indication that he was frightened by what he knew would be next.

After emptying the contents from the container DR128 tossed it somewhere in the room, "I guess this is goodbye," he said as he began walking towards the door.

"I will find you and I will complete my mission," the man answered unemotionally unfazed by anything around him.

DR128 shrugged, "One can wish." Then, taking out a lighter from his pocket, he ignited it and tossed it to the floor. On impact the floor lit up with a blaze that travelled quickly around the room. He then turned and closed the door, locked it and quickly left the cabin.

His hideaway cabin, the one where he would hide to think about what to do next was blazing and igniting the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning…

"Wake up Claire!" Jessie shook her friend awake the next morning as she walked into her room and opened up the curtains before making her way to her friend's bed, "Get up woman! We have a lot to do today."

"What the hell Jess!" the blond grumbled as she desperately tried to take control of her duvet, "What time is it?"

"It's eight in the morning. This is not the time to hibernate," she replied as she stood up from the bed. "Breakfast is almost ready and I need your help."

Sitting up finally from her bed, Claire noticed her friend. Jessie looked more alive than she had ever seen her. Her green eyes sparkled, her hair shined….she looked like she had been reborn, "What…what's going on with you?"

"I found Jonny," she said with a smile. "I found him Claire."

"What?" the girl exclaimed in disbelief, "What..how?"

"Phoenix and Questworld…it worked."

"Why…why didn't you tell me last night?" she asked finally getting up from her bed and sitting on the edge. She wore a turquoise tank top and matching panties. Claire believed in sleeping as sexy as she could, as she put it, 'You never know'. "When we got home last night, you were already in your room fast asleep. I thought….I thought nothing incredible happened."

Jessie, shook her head and with a radiant smile answered, "It did. Claire, he's here, or least he was here on Thursday. I want to go back into QuestWorld again and find out more. But I need your help. I need you to help me with Phoenix. She runs slow on Questworld. I need someone on the outside monitoring and running the program in the live world."

Claire looked at her, "Jessie, I don't know how to run QuestWorld"

"I'll teach you,"

"Why don't you ask Hadji? He knows…"

Jessie immediately interrupted, "Absolutely not. I'm not telling anyone about Jonny until I find him and talk to him. Only when I know enough."

"Jessie!"

"Claire, you didn't see what I saw last night. Jonny….Jonny is not the same. There's something different about him and I need to find out what it is before he comes back to us. I need to know what is going on first."

The girl looked at her studiously before speaking, "You saw Jonny last night? Are you sure it was him? I mean, don't get angry Jessie, but I find it hard to believe that you, out of all people, wouldn't pull an all-nighter to find out more."

"Believe me, it was very tempting," Jessie replied as she sat on the bed, "Claire, I wanted nothing more than to stay inside Questworld and find out more. But, it was late and you and Hadj were on your way back….I couldn't take the risk. Then, I thought I needed to get some sleep to be at my best so I took a sleeping pill I found in my father's room and pushed myself to get some rest for today."

"A sleeping pill? What was in that thing? I've never seen you look so….good."

Jessie laughed, "Oh come on."

Claire laughed, "I'm serious. I've never seen you look more alive than I do now."

"It's not the pill. It's the fact that after so many years, I finally found him," she sighed. "Claire, come on. I need you up and ready."

"What about Hadji?" Claire asked as she walked over to her closet.

"He left early this morning to QuestCorp for a couple of meetings and to run over the guest list for tonight."

The blonde cringed a bit, "That must be fun."

"Either way, he'll be there most of the day, which is perfect for us," Jessie answered.

"You do know that we still have to get ready for the ball early, right?"

Sighing, Jessie answered, "Yeah, about that…I was wondering if maybe you and Hadji could go…."

"Absolutely not!" Claire adamantly replied as she turned around. "No way Jessie! I'm not about to go out on this first…job assignment on my own. Hadji will be busy entertaining those people, covering for Doctor Quest and I'll be all alone….no. You promised!"

"Didn't you text me last night saying that Hadji asked you to be his date?"

"That doesn't mean there won't be times where he will need to be on his own and he'll have to leave me. Come on Jessie!"

"Fine!" the red head responded widening her eyes. "It was just an idea…"

"A very bad one!"

"Alright Claire!"

Taking out a pair of jeans and green blouse, she asked, "What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon," she responded as she began walking out the door.

"What?" Claire chuckled, "A bribe?"

"Thought it was the only way to get you out of bed," Jessie smirked as she walked out the door, "Come down quickly, I want to get started as soon as we can."


End file.
